


Exire Lapisque

by agnikai58



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Airbending & Airbenders, Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Earth Kingdom, F/F, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-04-09 23:23:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 37,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4368275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agnikai58/pseuds/agnikai58
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Korra's quest to rebuild the Air Nation leads her to the city of Ba Sing Se but her capture at the hands of the Dai Li leads to her becoming the enemy of everything that she had set out to accomplish.</p><p>Alternate History. Rated M for violence. Minor elements of Kai/Jinora, Bolin/Opal, Ming Hua/Ghazan, Mako/OC and Korra/Asami.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Best laid plans

Lin insisted on returning to Republic City, but Korra brushed the warning about Zaheer aside. "I came here for one thing, to find airbenders and I'm not leaving without them."

Republic City's Chief of Police didn't look surprised at Korra's response, though she didn't appear happy about it either. "Fine. Let's get them and get out of here. Where are they?"

"In a military compound. And we're busting them out."

It was still close to the middle of the day when Lin arrived in the city and they had to wait for the cover of darkness before they could start their prison break. In the meantime, they tried to make their plans as best as they could. Jinora had told them what she had seen while searching for Kai, but the base's layout was still mostly a mystery.

Even so, the plan was eventually settled. Asami and Lin would wait in the airships while Korra, Tenzin, Jinora, Mako, Bolin and Bumi snuck into the compound itself. After that, it was hard to decide what to do. There were too many unknowns after they got inside. How many Dai Li agents were there? How large was the compound? Were the airbenders being kept together or separate from each other? They threw ideas around, but eventually agreed that they had to improvise after they got inside.

Darkness descended over the capital city like a thick woolen blanket as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. The moon slowly rose into the sky and was nearing its peak before they began moving towards the palace grounds. Their house wasn't far from the palace itself, but it was still slow going.

They moved from the shadows of one building to the shadows of another building one person at a time after checking around the corners. Korra was expecting to see the conical hat and robe of Dai Li agents every time she looked around to see if they were being followed or watched. But there was barely anyone in sight the entire way. There were a few pedestrians walking along the streets and a mere handful of guards in the palace area itself.

The minimal security surprised Korra at first, but it made more sense as she considered the matter. The Upper Ring was home to the wealthiest citizens of Ba Sing Se and the Dai Li's sinister reputation was enough to ward off trespassers, criminal or otherwise.

Korra stopped at the wall that surrounded the area directly around the palace and the Earth Queen's temple. It was high enough that they couldn't see over the top unaided, but there were some trees nearby that she could use to get a look.

The temple they were heading for sat between them and the palace. Like the palace itself, the cylindrical stone building was a pagoda. Rings ran around its outside and the topmost portion reminded her of the hats that the Dai Li wore.

She had seen the palace from Asami's airship as they had landed in Ba Sing Se, but that angle had scarcely done it justice. It wasn't until now that she realized how massive the queen's palace really was.

The queen was undoubtedly there, no doubt making someone miserable if she was still awake. Part of her really wanted to be there when Hou-Ting heard that that the airbenders had escaped, but she'd live without it.

Korra frowned as she took stock of the area in front of her. Staying hidden was easy when there were buildings or trees for cover but the area around the temple was a flat empty stone plaza with nowhere to hide. One person looking in their direction as they tried to cross and the alarm would be sounded. After that, it wouldn't take long for the Dai Li and city guards to come running. Asami and Lin might be able to rescue them with the airships, but there was no guarantee any of them would leave Ba Sing Se if that happened.

She glanced back at the others as the gears in her head began spinning to figure out a solution. While she was thinking, Bumi climbed up his own tree with some help from Bum-Ju to take his own look. "That's a lot of open space out there. We need a distraction, all we need is a few sewer pipe elephant-rats and a bag of sugar. "

A distraction, that was it. She looked back out at the plaza, there were two guards in sight, one holding a lamp, as they patrolled the area. "Okay. We need to move towards the main entrance over there. Jinora, find a spot and wait for them to run into you. Keep their attention until we can close the distance and knock them out."

There was a small building that visitors to the temple plaza would walk through. A pair of watchtowers stood to either side of it giving an overview of the area. The guard's patrol took them along the outskirts of the plaza wall.

A nearby cluster of trees gave Korra and company enough cover to lie in wait. Jinora split off from the group before-hand to take up a position at the bottom of one of the towers. She could hear them approaching, but waited for the pair to round the corner before stepping away from the wall. "Hi."

The guard holding the lamp looked surprised for a split second at seeing her standing there. "Hey! What are you doing here?"

"Ah, it's just that little airbender girl who came here with the Avatar," the second guard said dismissively before putting his hands on his hips. "You shouldn't be walking around here all alone."

Jinora pointed at Korra and the others as they moved up to take the guards out. "I'm not alone."

Hitting both of them in the head to knock them out made Korra wince inwardly, but it was a necessary step to freeing the airbenders. Hopefully the Queen wouldn't punish the pair too severely for getting knocked out and tied up.

The temple was devoid of life at night, but she could see construction materials everywhere as the temple's interior was clearly still a work in progress. It took them a few minutes but they found a stairwell that led deeper into the compound beneath. Jinora had said there was a network of catacombs and tunnels beneath Ba Sing Se, but the room Korra found herself looking at left her stunned.

She had been expecting a series of tunnels or small rooms beneath the palace but this was a massive undercroft. Everything from the pillars to the archways looked to have been carved out of the same green stone. Above her was a kind of vaulted ceiling and in front of her stood a massive staircase that descended into the depths. It had several landings and a series of bizarre statues carved into its center.

There were multiple archways both on the top floor and along the stairs down below. Light blue and pale green crystals set at regular intervals gave an almost eerie glow to the place as their illumination reflected off the walls. How big is this place? The airbenders could be anywhere...

The sound of footsteps coming from a nearby stairwell shook her out of her reverie. She waved her hand at the others behind her and pointed to a doorway where they could hide. Korra felt her heart hammering away inside her chest as two Dai Li agents came into view. Don't look this way, keep walking. Don't turn around.

Their pace didn't change, they looked straight forward the entire time and soon disappeared through the front door. Korra let out a small sigh of relief after they were gone. She had known the Dai Li would be in the area, but coming that close to getting caught before they had even found the airbenders left her on edge.

Tenzin was standing nearest the door leading to the stairs they were hiding on. After the Dai Li were gone, he turned back to the others. "Bumi and Korra, you two will come with me to find the airbenders. You three find Kai. We'll meet on the surface shortly. Radio us if anything goes wrong."

Korra headed down the main staircase, Tenzin and Bumi right behind her. Jinora had tried searching for the other airbenders after finding Kai, but had been unable to locate them. It had only been a few days since Kai had joined them on the airship, but the burgeoning relationship between the two of them seemed obvious, at least to Korra. That attraction was probably why she had been able to find him.

Jinora led Mako and Bolin off towards one of the doorways on the upper level. Knowing where Kai already was made their task easier. It was probably why Tenzin gave that task to his daughter—that and it was less dangerous then searching the depths of this base.

There were three doorways at the bottom of the stairs, each leading in a different direction. Korra glanced from one to the other, unsure of which to take. She turned back towards Tenzin. "Any idea which one we should go through? There are three of us here, maybe we could split up?"

"I think we're better off sticking together," Tenzin replied. "There's bound to be more Dai Li agents in this compound somewhere."

In the meantime, Bumi had been walking between each of the doors, inspecting the ground like an art critic would inspect a famous painting. He pointed at the last one. "I think this one is our best bet. The other two are a bit dusty and this one has some of those lighting crystals in it."

Tenzin and Korra glanced at each other, the latter shrugging her shoulders. She didn't have any better ideas and it was as good a lead as anything else that they had. It was a short walk before they encountered more stairs heading further down into the compound. Venturing this far into an enemy's base without knowing their way around left her uneasy, but she had come this far and wasn't about to quit now.

This staircase looped around in a gentle curve as it descended deeper into the earth. Korra wasn't sure how far down they had gone, but there was a chill in the air that hadn't been present higher up. Eventually they hit the bottom of the stairs, finding a long hallway stretching into the distance.

"I guess this is the bottom of the base. They must be down here somewhere." It was just a guess, but Korra had a good feeling about it. There were a few doors on both sides of the tunnel and one large double door at the end. "Let's take a look."

The first few doors she opened were empty though they had signs of use in them—fireplaces with pots hanging from the mantelpiece and a few tables in one. Korra stopped in front of the second to last door and wrenched it open hoping that this was it. It was just as empty as the others, but clearly was where they had been sleeping.

There were numerous holes that had been hewed out of the stone walls. She didn't see any blankets or pillows, but the holes were all large enough for someone to lie down in. Korra stuck a hand over her mouth and nose as she smelled a horrid stench coming from a hole in the corner on the far side of the room. Guess that's the toilet...

Korra's shoulders sagged in defeat as she stared at the empty room in front of her. "It's the middle of the night; this has to be where they're being kept. Where are they?"

Tenzin gestured towards the last door. "They could be in there or it's possible they're sleeping on a different schedule since you can't see the sun or sky down here."

She backed out of the room, sliding the door shut before turning towards the last remaining room in the tunnel. Korra had only taken a couple of steps when Bumi's radio crackled to life. It was Jinora, sounding desperate and terrified. "Dad! ...There? … Dai Li attacked...we...down. Help!"

Korra wasn't a parent, but the sudden look of fear and anguish on Tenzin's face told her volumes about how he must be feeling. She gestured back down the way they came, telling him, "Go!"

Tenzin didn't need to be told twice and he was gone almost in an instant. Bumi hesitated as he glanced back at Korra but she shook her head. "There's only one room left, I can check it myself." The former soldier still looked a bit hesitant about leaving her on her own. She scowled at him, channeling her inner Lin. "Tenzin needs you more than I do. Get going already."

Bumi rushed off after Tenzin as Korra turned back to the doors at the end of the tunnel. They were heavier than the rest, but still made out of stone. She wrenched them open with her earthbending and looked inside.

Korra had kept a careful eye on her surroundings as she had descended deeper into the compound, afraid of being spotted. The entire compound thus far looked to have been carved out of the rock and lacked any signs of modern technology. They had crystals for light, small holes in the ceiling for venting air and the like.

This room on the other hand, looked like something she would expect to see in Asami's mansion. Thick carpeting, light-bulbs hidden beneath ornate sconces, even some ceiling fans hanging from the ceiling. There were a few paintings on the wall, but they all seemed rather bland looking to her. An empty field of grass, one filled with trees and a portrait of the queen. She snorted at the picture and toward her attention to the furniture.

There wasn't much variety there. All the chairs looked identical and so did the tables for that matter. They had some padding on the seats and chair back's, but not a great deal. She tried to identify what kind of wood it was, but there were few trees in the south pole where she had grown up. The most she could tell was that it was some kind of oak.What is this place? Some kind of lounge for the Dai Li? Why would they have something like that here?

She reached over to touch a nearby chair, perplexed at the oddity of this particular room. Korra froze as her fingers came in contact with it. It definitely looked like a chair made out of wood to her eyes. The color was right and it had a wooden grain pattern to it but the surface beneath her fingertips was undeniably metal.

The Avatar felt the hair on the back of her neck beginning to stand up and goosebumps began to appear on her arms. The room still looked innocent enough, but a voice inside Korra began to scream that something was wrong and that she needed to leave. Now.

She spun about towards the entrance, wanting to follow that voice's frantic urging. Out past the hallway, standing in the tunnel with his sleeves in front of him was a single Dai Li agent. Korra threw a punch with her right hand sending a gust of flame towards the man. His stance remained rooted but his arms reacted, swinging from one side of his body to the other. A wall of metal slid into place between the two of them, blocking off both the doorway and her burst of fire. Immediately afterwards the lights all turned off, leaving Korra in a pitch black room.

It took a moment to realize the significance of what the Dai Li agent had just done, but her blood began to run cold when it did. The Avatar froze in place as she mentally rebuked herself for walking into a trap. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and began listening for any noises in the room.

There was nothing for several agonizing moments, but then she heard a scuff on the carpet to her left. Korra twisted in that direction, throwing out more fire in the general vicinity of the sound. The room was lit up for a short moment, revealing the Dai Li agent who she had heard. He didn't try to dodge the attack, instead moving his arms in a strangely familiar pattern. A small end-table next to him lifted off the ground and into the fire's path to block the attack.

A room full of metal furniture...

Korra instantly turned to run for the general vicinity of where the exit had been. She couldn't get through where the metal was, but the walls were made of stone. There was another scuffing sound followed quickly by the table striking her in the back. The impact knocked the wind out of her as she was blasted off her feet and onto the ground.

She pushed herself back up to her hands and knees trying to scrabble away from the table, but it was too late. The metal flowed and extended itself around her body, pinning her arms to her sides and trapping her legs together. A portion of it snaked upwards wrapping around her neck before forming a barrier in front of her mouth.

The lights came back on. She squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden glare before slowly opening them again. There were more Dai Li agents in the room now, standing around her. Korra tried testing her bonds, but to no avail. One of the men knelt in front of her, one sleeve covering his face as he stuck a metal spray canister into hers. He pressed down on the plunger before stepping away. Korra coughed for a moment before her vision began to spin then faded away as the aerosol did its work.

Queen Hou-Ting was nervous but she would never have admitted it. It didn't show, of course, because a ruler could never show weakness. The Dai Li were her greatest tool, but they had failed against Avatar Aang during her father's reign. If they failed tonight... well, she still had the world's largest military at her disposal if it matters spiraled out of control.

She resisted the urge to tap her nail extensions on the throne's arm. Never show weakness, especially not to the Dai Li agent who was approaching the dais her throne sat upon. He knelt down on one knee at the correct distance to show the proper obeisance to her majesty. She lifted one hand, inspecting the golden extensions that she wore on her ring and little fingers. The Dai Li had never shown any signs of disloyalty, but it never hurt to remind them who was in charge.

After a long moment, she set her hand back down onto the throne's arm and turned her attention to the Dai Li agent as if just now seeing him. "Your report?" She tried not to make it sound like a question, but an order befitting her status.

The head of the Dai Li had spent his time walking to this meeting considering how best to deliver his news. Hou-Ting's temper was volatile at the best of times and her fixation on the emerging airbenders bordered on obsession. He considered his options one last time upon entering the throne room. Taking matters into his own hands would be easy enough, but Hou-Ting wasn't without cunning of her own and she could serve as the lightning rod if things went badly.

"Your suspicions were correct, Your Majesty. Beifong's allies were seen visiting Lake Laogai earlier today and they broke into our temple compound as expected."

The queen had always hated the Beifong family for reasons unknown. He had tried investigating the matter before, but nothing had ever turned up. The idea that any of the Beifongs were behind this in any fashion seemed like paranoia to him, but Lin Beifong had arrived for whatever reason earlier that day. What really bothered him was how they had discovered their training area in the temple compound. Perhaps it had been the fault of that one boy who had claimed to be with the Avatar. A matter for another time, he thought.

"We expected them to stay together, but they split up shortly after entering so we had to adjust our plans." He hesitated for the briefest of moments: the Queen never liked receiving bad news. "I regret to inform Your Majesty that we failed to acquire any of the airbenders. The girl Jinora and the brothers Bolin and Mako proved stronger than anticipated. Our focus was on the Avatar and Tenzin so we only sent a smaller force after the rest and they held out long enough for Tenzin to arrive."

Hou-Ting scowled at him. "You failed to capture any of them? I will not stand for such incompetence. If that's all you have to offer me, then you'll find yourself in the deepest dungeon cell in the city before the sun rises."

The four Dai Li agents standing in front of the throne didn't move, but their eyes flicked towards each other than at him questioningly. He tapped twice on the ground with the hand hidden underneath his sleeve. It wasn't much but it was enough to send two tiny tremors through the stone floor for his men to sense.

"I take full responsibility for underestimating the intruders, Your Majesty. However, there is some good news. We made plans in the event that anyone escaped and those are currently in progress. And we did not come up empty-handed. The Avatar fell into the trap we had prepared." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "What are your orders, my Queen?"

Hou-Ting had been hoping to snare Tenzin or his daughter. Either would have sufficed for her purposes, even the man Bumi may have worked. But to capture the Avatar herself, to be able to take revenge on Aang's reincarnation for the humiliations he had forced on the Earth Kingdom...

The Queen never smiled; it wouldn't do to show pleasure in the presence of her subjects, but the corners of her mouth almost twitched upwards.

Korra groaned as she came to. Her head was pounding something awful and everything was swimming back and forth in front of her. Gradually it came into focus and she began to take stock of her situation.

She was seated in a heavy wooden chair without any padding on its back or seat. Thick bands of metal pinned her wrists to the chair's arms and another pair trapped her ankles to the legs. Another piece of metal was fixed over her mouth and held in place by a pair of leather straps that were cinched together at the back of her head.

In front of her was a stone ring, several feet in diameter. One of the Dai Li was standing inside as he lit the candle inside a glass lamp. The lamp began to slide along the circle, its light blinding Korra as it passed by her during each rotation. His voice was soft, lethargic and even strangely comforting as he began to speak.

"Your name is Karman. You live to fight for the Earth Queen."

The lamp passed by her on its never ending loop, the light blinding her again.

"Your name is Karman. You live to fight for the Earth Queen."


	2. If all else fails

Everything had gone smoothly for them at first. Mako had been expecting that they would need to search for Kai, but Jinora had taken the lead as soon as they split up. “Follow me.” 

Mako threw a quick glance to his right as Korra disappeared down the staircase while they ran along the upper floor. Splitting up in an enemy base wasn't the best of ideas, but Korra could handle anything the Dai Li threw at her. Whether he, Bolin and Jinora could was another matter entirely.

Jinora turned to her left heading down a small flight of stairs and pointed. “He's in this hall, the fourth door on our left.” As they headed down the hall, Mako glanced around trying to remain aware of his surroundings. It was a long hallway made out of roughly hewn pale green bricks with black metal doors set at regular intervals and green crystals for lighting lined the walls.

Why was everything the same color in this place? Mako wondered. The next thought that came into his head bothered him more. A prison made out of stone would be easy for earthbenders to escape, metal doors or not unless this hadn't been designed for benders.

Bolin pulled the door Jinora had indicated open, revealing the thieving airbender sitting on a wooden bench. Mako tried not to let his annoyance with Kai show. There was a time and place for that, and this wasn't it. “Come on, we're getting you out.”

“Kai!” Jinora pushed between Mako and Bolin as she jumped forward hugging Kai and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. 

“Whoa hoooh!. Tenzin's not going to be happy about this.” Bolin looked positively giddy at the thought of how Jinora's father would react. “Then don't tell him.” 

The thought of keeping quiet seemed inconceivable to Bolin “How could I not? This is too juicy!” Mako grimaced, moments like this made him wonder how Bolin's brain worked.

Kai stepped towards the two of them, a humbled look on his face. “Thanks for coming to get me. I'm really sorry about stealing your wallets. And running away. Aaand getting you stuck on that train.” 

Mako didn't look impressed by the apology, but Bolin had never been one to hold a grudge for long, if at all. “Oh we can't stay mad at you.” Mako folded his arms as Bolin hugged Kai “Yes we can. I had a lot of money in that wallet.” 

“Guys come on.” Jinora was quick to get them focused again as she started heading towards the exit. Mako couldn't help feeling that this was going to be a piece of cake until they rounded the corner and saw four Dai Li agents standing on the stairs.

The agent in the front looked at Kai for a moment before giving the others a cursory glance. “Deserting her majesty's army is high treason. Punishable by death!” In an almost flawlessly synchronized motion, all four attacked at the same time.

Mako had been expecting some version of the Dai Li's rock fist move, but instead they were ripping bricks out of the wall and hurling them at head height. He tried to dodge and counterattack but the nonstop barrage of bricks drove them back around the corner to escape it.

There was a brief lull as the agents stayed hidden beyond the corner. Mako took a deep breath trying to steady his nerves. Running into some Dai Li agents like that was a tough break, but manageable. He had just started to think through the situation when some squealing sounds came from behind them. He glanced over his shoulder to see what it was and froze in place. Four more Dai Li agents had appeared in the hall behind them. 'They were hiding in those cells, waiting for us to show up. This whole thing is a trap.'

The sudden standoff lasted until the first group they had run into started walking around the corner and into the hallway. Mako exchanged a glance with Bolin and received a small nod from his brother. They had their problems like any other pair of siblings but could still read each others minds easily enough when they needed to.

Mako turned his head back towards the corner as he fired a bolt of lightning in their direction. Mako spun towards the second group intending to throw lightning at them as well. As Mako was spinning, Bolin raised a half circle of stone and dirt up from the ground for them to hide behind. Bolin turned intending to do the same on their rear but the second group of Dai Li had already begun attacking. Mako, Jinora and Kai all dodged the projectiles heading for them, but Bolin wasn't so lucky.

The brick meant for Bolin struck him solidly just between his collarbone and right shoulder. His face contorted with pain as he dropped to one knee. If it had been anyone but the Dai Li, Mako would have called it coincidence but somehow he had the feeling that was brick had been aimed very, very precisely. It was the exact some spot where Bolin had gotten injured during the pro-bending playoff semi-finals.

Mako turned towards the two airbenders, both of whom were hesitating. “Kai, watch the rear. Jinora, take the radio and call Korra.” He turned towards Bolin as they sprang into action “How bad is it?” His brother grimaced “Feels like a tear. I don't think I'll be much use now. I can keep this wall up, but that's it.”

Kai turned away from the wall to face the Dai Li without a barrier between the two groups. They had thrown a second volley of bricks by now. His mind flashed back to the fight with his 'trainer' from earlier in that day. Trying to fight with finesse against a single Dai Li member had gotten him tossed into the cell to begin with. And now there were four of them, time for something different. He took a deep breath, planted his feet and threw his hands forward to hurl a unfocused gust of air at their attackers. 

The wind itself wasn't visible, but it's effects were plainly visible as they shattered the oncoming bricks and slammed into the Dai Li. The agents were shoved backwards until they bent the stone around their feet to hold themselves in place. 

At the same Jinora had pulled the handset away from the radio hitting the button to talk “Dad! Are you there? The Dai Li appeared out of nowhere and attacked us. We're pinned down. We need your help!”

She let go of the transmit button and waited for a response. Bumi's voice came through, but it was so garbled that they could barely make anything out. “T -Zin..........way. -ra....ders” Jinora looked up at Mako. “There's something or someone interfering with the signal, it shouldn't be this bad. I just hope they heard us...”

Mako threw another bolt of lightning towards the corner on his side. They may have known enough to target a spot where Bolin had gotten injured before but the bolts of lightning seemed to have taken them by surprise and sent them retreating out of sight. “Call the chief and tell her to bring the airships.”

Jinora hesitated before adjusting the radio's transmit dial “Lin, we ran into the Dai Li down here. We need to get out of here before more show up.” Beifong's response was mostly clear except for a bit of static at the beginning “Copy that, Asami and I are on our way. Did you find the airbenders?”

“I... I don't know. I think the Dai Li are jamming the radio, so we can't understand what Bumi said...”  
Jinora looked towards Kai for a split second before dropping the handset and rushing to join him. It wasn't exactly a 'just in the nick of time' moment, but Kai was visibly beginning to weaken. His arms weren't held as straight and sweat was beginning to darken the tunic he was wearing. 

After Jinora added her bending to Kai's, the Dai Li retreated into the cells they had exited from to escape the tempestuous gale bearing down on them. On the other side, the threat of getting hit by Mako's lightning continued to keep his area clear. The fight had turned into a waiting game for all of them. The Dai Li weren't able to mount any sort of offense, but Mako and company couldn't get out either. The only question was who would show up first, more Dai Li agents or Tenzin and Korra.

Minutes passed without an answer and the tense monotony was only broken up by sporadic lightning.   
Mako wasn't sure how long they had been waiting, but he started to turn towards Bolin to ask him to make a way out, injury or not when he heard metal crashing against stone. The sound had come from where the first group of Dai Li were hiding. 

He could hear the sounds of a fight breaking out and it didn't take very long for one of the Dai Li to literally come flying into view before smashing into the wall and crumpling to the ground. Tenzin strode around the corner, looking the part of a wrathful father determined to save his daughter. He glanced about the hall before approaching Mako “Is everyone all right? I couldn't quite make out everything you said on the radio.”

Mako glanced behind him to see if the Dai Li were still hiding in the cells or not. Jinora and Kai had stopped bending, but the hall remained empty. They must not have been interested in coming out, if they were even still there. “Bolin's shoulder took a hit, but we're fine aside from that. I'll tell you everything later but we need to get out of here right now.” Tenzin looked aghast at the idea of leaving “What? We didn't find the airbenders, we have to keep looking!”

Mako shook his head “The Dai Li know we're here. If we stay any longer, the Queen will find out and she'll throw everything she has at us. We already called Beifong and Asami to come get us.” 

Jinora's radio crackled to life and Lin's voice came through. “We're above the temple entrance now. I don't see you. What's going on?” Mako picked the handset up before Tenzin or Jinora could react “We're on our way.” 

Tenzin didn't appear to be interested in arguing with Mako after seeing the extent of Bolin's injury. He did, however, lag behind the rest of them and was continually looking back over his shoulder towards the main stairwell.

The plaza outside was as empty as it had been when they had entered the temple's interior. The only change was the two airships circling outside. 

Jinora couldn't help but notice the contrast between the two of them. Lin's ship was dark black and lacking any real decorations or flair other than the logo of Republic City's metalbending police unit. It wasn't small by any means but it was dwarfed by the airship that Asami had brought. In fact the engineer had claimed hers was the largest airship ever built. The combination of argent metal and glass was as breathtaking now as when she had first seen it approaching Air Temple Island before their trip had begun.

Beifong's airship was slowly descending towards the plaza as it lowered a ladder for them to climb up. Tenzin looked at the ladder before turning away to continue watching the temple entrance while his flying bison Oogi landed next to him. Mako stopped to boost Bolin up into the bison's saddle before he left his brother to climb the ladder behind everyone else except Tenzin and Bolin.

The radio crackled as she clambered onto the airship's deck and Asami's voice came through “We got company. There's some airships coming our. I can't tell yet, but they're probably from the Earth Kingdom's air force.”

Jinora rushed to the nearest window looking around for the ships Asami had spotted. A group of airships was approaching from the north. They resembled Lin's ship, but the dominant colors were green and yellow. Asami's voice came from the radio again “I don't think we can wait around any longer. Where's Korra?”

Everyone on board exchanged glances with each other before Bumi answered “She said she was going to check that last room before joining us. I don't know what's taking her so long...” Lin turned partway around in the pilot's chair “Korra's a tough kid, she'll be fine. I don't like running and leaving her behind, but we can always sneak back into the city once the heat is off.”

As they spoke, Jinora could feel the airship turning to point itself southward. She looked over her shoulder through the windows on the other side and saw Asami's ship matching their trajectory. As she turned her gaze back to the pursuing airships, she could feel tension permeating the air as the airships raced through the night sky.

“Asami, you're falling behind us and those ships are gaining on you. Are you having engine problems or something?” Lin sounded annoyed and just the slightest bit concerned. Asami's tone was irritated, but Jinora wasn't whether it was at the Future Industries airship or Lin. “This is a luxury airship, it wasn't built for speed and those Cabbage Corps models are faster then normal. It looks like they altered the propellers, but I can't tell from this distance.” 

Jinora moved to the other side of the airship to get a better look at what was going on. Lin had been right. Asami was lagging behind and looked like she might be overtaken in a minute or two if Jinora was guessing the speeds right. She started trying to guess what they would actually do when they caught up when she saw several small objects fly away from the nearest pursuing craft towards Asami's airship.

They were too far away for her to see details, but they looked like rocks to her. They spread out as they moved through the air and each landed next to a different propeller. There was a brief pause then she heard several audible thumps amid an outward spray of metal and glass. Asami's airship lurched to one side and began listing towards the Lower Ring below. Asami's voice came through the radio sounding panicked “Those bombs took out our propellers! We're going down!” 

Lin twisted in her seat to look out the window at Asami's airship before jumping to her feet “Someone take the helm!” As Bumi took her spot, Lin rushed towards the rear of the airship and punched the button to lower the rear hatch. Jinora's stomach began feeling queasy as she watched Asami's airship crash into the city and demolish buildings beneath it as it slid along.

Beifong backed up a short distance before running forward and using her metalbending to catapult her into the air and towards the pursuing airships. She threw out a line of cable hooking onto the nearest ship and using it to pull herself up on top. That's almost exactly what she did when those Equalist airships were chasing us.

In the meantime, Tenzin had flown Oogi down to the crash site on the ground. Asami and her pilot had climbed upwards through one of the shattered windows and were waiting on top. The pilot – what was his name? Li? made a cradle with his hands and boosted Asami into the saddle before climbing up himself.

Oogi rose up into the air and started moving towards the airship that Lin was on. She had torn the metal skin open causing the airship to begin dropping to the ground. The other airships instantly began to turn away, not wanting to risk the same thing happening to them. They didn't give the chase up completely, but were maintaining a much greater distance then before. 

Their airship passed over the inner wall without incident and everyone on-board looked like they were beginning to relax as they approached the outer wall. Mako had grabbed a first aid kit and was beginning to fashion a sling for his brother's arm. Oogi had pulled along side them with Lin, Asami and Li all sitting in the saddle. Asami seemed to be cradling her side though. 

Jinora wasn't sure what drew her attention to the outer wall, but it was just in time to see a pair of Dai Li agents emerge from one of the wall's barracks. They were holding a box between the two of them which they set down. As she watched, the agents hurled several rocks at their airship with one of them landed on a propeller above the window she was standing at. Jinora looked upwards, a queer curiosity driving her. It didn't look like much, just a shell of rock with several short stubs protruding outwards.

It took a second, but it quickly dawned on Jinora what that thing was. “Everyone get down!”  
She dived to the floor covering her head as a series of explosions sounded from outside and the airship shuddered violently. The floor tilted underneath her as the ship began listing to one side and started dropping out of the sky. The moment of impact knocked everyone off their feet as the ship's nose plowed a furrow through the dirt before coming to a grinding halt.

Jinora pushed herself up to her feet after everything had stopped moving. “Is everyone all right?” There was a slow round of responses as they staggered back to their feet and checked for any noticeable injuries. Aside from a few bruises and cuts here and there, they were fine.

She could see Oogi landing next to the airship outside as Lin jumped off. A moment later and she was wrenching part of the airships skin open and making her way inside. “Those airships are going to be headed our way. Probably soldiers too. Grab what supplies you can, we need to get moving as soon as possible. There's a forest to the south we can hide in before deciding what to do.”

Lin's prediction had been right. Jinora could see the airships hovering over their crash site in the distance in the dim light of the rising sun. She watched a moment longer before turning away and moving back towards the others. Bolin's arm was resting in a sling that had been looped around his neck and Asami had some bandages wrapped around her midriff but they were hidden beneath her shirt and jacket now.

As Jinora approached the group, she saw Tenzin and Lin's discussion come to a close. They had asked Mako for his version of events before walking away to decide on a course of action. Lin folded her arms as she turned towards the group “Tenzin, Mako and I are staying here with....whatever that thing's name is.” She waved a hand at Naga as she continued speaking.

“Korra must still be in the city somewhere. Maybe she found the airbenders, maybe not. But we're not leaving without her. The rest of you are going back to Republic City.” Jinora made a pair of fists at that. Sending Asami, Bolin, Bumi and Li away made sense, but her as well? “Why? I have the best chance of finding Korra. And what about Kai?” 

Tenzin looked sympathetic to his daughter, but Lin appeared irritated at being questioned. Tenzin put a hand on her shoulder “I know you do, but things have changed. The Earth Queen is trying to make an army of airbenders. Anyone who can airbend, including our family, is at risk now. Pema, Ikki, Meelo and Rohan could be in danger and I need you to watch over them for me. As for Kai, he's your student and the responsibility for training him is yours.”

And that was the end of that. Jinora waited until the sun disappeared below the horizon before putting her back to Korra, the airbenders and Ba Sing Se and departing.


	3. Formless, shapeless, like water

Zaheer had known that Zuko and the rest of the White Lotus would react once they learned he had escaped. The prisons had been built in secret, hidden in remote regions where no one lived or ever traveled to. It had been a prudent measure, but had backfired on the White Lotus in this case. Zaheer had been able to trap his guards in the prison built on the mountain peak and Ghazan's island was only accessible by boat or an airship.

 

It wasn't until after their attack on the volcanic crater holding Ming Hua, that Zuko had learned of their escape according to the Red Lotus agents still in the White Lotus. After that, the question was what kind of resistance they would encounter on the tundra of the north pole.

 

Zuko, the dragon Druk, Tonraq and a pair of twins he didn't recognize at first, right before realizing they must have been the traitor known as Unalaq and have been his children. If Zuko had been younger then things might have gone differently but he and his allies weren't an obstacle once P'Li had made it to the surface.

 

The threat of pursuit was still real until they had made it back to their boat and were out to sea. It was still possible that Zuko could chase them on Druk out there, but the odds of being spotted were minuscule. It wasn't until they had landed in United Republic land and made camp that they began to relax.

 

The four of them made camp as the sun began to dip below the horizon and save for their fire, all was quiet. Zaheer knew them well enough to see what the other three were all thinking about though.

He had been able to 'escape' his prison by visiting the spirit world, but that was an ability Ming Hua, Ghazan and P'Li lacked.

 

Thirteen years of imprisonment in tiny cells inside of terrible prisons specially constructed to hold them. They had been completely isolated except for White Lotus guards who saw them as traitors and treated them with contempt on the rare occasions that they actually spoke to their wards.

 

And now they were free.

 

Eventually Ghazan broke the silence “So where are we going? Republic City?” Zaheer adjusted the position of his legs as they had begun to fall asleep “Yes. The world has changed since we were locked away. I know much of what has happened, but I'm missing some of the finer details. And I'm told that Korra lives there now.” The brawny fire bender considered that for a moment before replying “Sounds good to me.”

 

As they started eating, Zaheer began telling them what he knew about current events in the world. Izumi becoming Fire Lord, the Equalist rebellion, Harmonic Convergence, Korra opening the spirit portals, the return of airbenders and so on.

 

After their meal was over, Zaheer had gotten into his sleeping bag when he faintly heard Ghazan speaking. He glanced towards him out of curiosity. The earthbender was sitting on the other side of the fire close to Ming Hua as they spoke and it seemed like he was holding a plant in one hand. He made out the word 'thirteen' but couldn't hear anything else. He turned away to look at P'Li as she lay next to him, but she had already fallen asleep. Zaheer closed his eyes to follow her example.

 

 

***

 

Ba Sing Se had been the largest city in the world for as long as anyone could remember. An enormous behemoth that stretched further than the eye could see in every direction. And yet, there was a time when the city hadn't existed and settlers to the region had burrowed their way into the earth. Eventually Ba Sing Se had risen and the excavations had been abandoned and eventually forgotten by the masses who lived ignorant of the depths beneath them.

 

It was a building in one of these forgotten places that Korra had been taken to. It had been less than a day, but the unceasing indoctrination of the Dai Li had already taken it's toll on her. The Avatar's clothes had become sticky with sweat and her eyes were beginning to go vacant. Her muscles had fallen asleep long ago and her head would be drooping if it weren't for a band of metal affixing it to the wooden chair's back.

 

Three other people were present in the room with her, the first being an agent standing within a stone ring. His hands were hidden in his sleeves and his gaze fixed on the Avatar as he continually repeated his refrain. "Your name is Karman. You live to fight for the Earth Queen."

 

Behind him stood the Earth Queen and next to her was the head of the Dai Li. The sight was nothing new to him in his many years as a member of the Dai Li, but the queen had never shown any interest in the process until now.

 

She enjoyed the sight of Korra's condition a moment longer before glancing at the man standing next to her. “You have a report on the others I assume?” He inclined his head “Yes Your Majesty. We were able to down both airships, one in the Lower Ring and one outside the Outer Wall but I regret to inform you that they all managed to escape. In addition, there was a significant amount of damage done in the Lower Ring and petitioners will come to ask for help.”

 

Hou'Ting scowled at the notion of having to deal with whoever came begging for her gold “Filthy peasants... Tell Gun to keep them from bothering me and have him use the gold that the Avatar brought us to shut them up. I'll increase taxes next year to get the money back. Do you have any good news or did you just come down here to tell me they escaped?”

 

He gestured towards the doorway with one hand, beckoning another agent to enter with his prizes. In one hand was an airbender's glider and he held a large rolled up piece of paper in the other. “We retrieved these from the airship that crashed in the city. We've already secured some craftsmen to start producing copies for your airbending regiment beginning tomorrow morning. This map is the real prize however. This is just a guess, but it's likely that all of the marked locations are places where airbenders have emerged in the Earth Kingdom.”

 

The queen's fingers twitched as she considered that. “Send an agent to the nearest location to see if that's true. If it is, then I want all of those airbenders rounded up immediately.” The Dai Li's head bowed before gesturing his subordinate away. Hou'Ting turned to look back at Korra “How long until Karman is ready?”

 

“Another day or two until her new personality is in place and then perhaps a week for the doctor to complete his task. After that she can begin training the others. If it doesn't displease Your Majesty, may I ask why we're reducing her to an airbender? The Avatar would be far more useful with all four elements.”

 

Hou'Ting shook her head “The White Lotus would gather all their forces and march on Ba Sing Se if they found out about this and not even the Avatar could save us then. No one can know what we do here. And what would happen if she went into the Avatar State?”

 

There was a moment of silence. “I don't know.” He admitted reluctantly “She went into the Avatar State earlier, but not even a metalbender can escape these chairs. We did have to...persuade her not to try again however.”

 

The queen almost asked what that had entailed but decided not to. It was so much more fun to imagine what they had done. The corners of her lips twitched upwards into a small smile as she continued to watch in silence.

 

"Your name is Karman. You live to fight for the Earth Queen."

 

***

 

Mako, Lin and Tenzin had remained in the forest with Naga after Jinora and the others had left for Republic City on Oogi. Mako idly poked at one of the logs in the small fire with a stick before looking to the others. “Do you have a plan, chief? How are we supposed to get into the city? The Dai Li are probably watching the monorail and ferries in case we try to sneak in.”

 

It was Tenzin that answered him “If we build a makeshift glider, then I can use it to sneak over the walls at night. I'll need your help to put it together Lin. Mako, take Naga and find a village or town. My outfit will give me away so you need to find me something else to wear.”

 

Lin stood up before bending her metal suit off leaving her in a plan white under-suit and black pair of pants. As Mako was mounting Naga, he could see her fashioning what looked like some kind of a blade from her police uniform. It took him a few seconds to recall details from the map they have been using before pulling on the reins and riding east.

 

It took him the better part of a day to find the village he was looking for. Mako felt a twinge of guilt at stealing someone's clothes, but he left some money pinned underneath a rock in its place. The fit wouldn't be all that great, but they would suffice to hide Tenzin's tattoos. After that, it was another long ride back to where their campsite had been.

 

Lin and Tenzin had finished building the makeshift glider in Mako's absence. It was fairly crude in appearance to Mako's eyes but it was the best they could do given the circumstances. A branch of wood hacked down to size with pieces of Tenzin's cape replacing the normal wax folds and bits of Lin's armor had been used to nail it together.

 

Tenzin gave it a final appraisal looking somewhat uneasy about the glider “It's not much, but it will hold together long enough for me to search the city. Mako, you said you visited your family in Ba Sing Can you tell me where they are? This city is too big for me to search on my own and they might have heard something.”

 

It was rather difficult to convey the location without a map and how little they knew about the city, but Mako was able to roughly explain where his family's home had been. Whether or not Tenzin could find it was a different story.

 

On the horizon, the sun was beginning to rise and the three of them felt their lack of sleep over the past two days begin to catch up with them. When Mako woke up, night had fallen and Tenzin was gone. The fire had gone cold and Lin was sitting with her back against a tree.

 

“So chief, if you don't mind me asking. Who is Zaheer exactly? I know you said he tried to kidnap Korra, but that's what he did, not who he is.”

 

Lin remained quiet long enough for Mako to think she wasn't going to answer before breaking the silence “I don't know all the details, only what other White Lotus members have told me over the years. His parents were air acolytes but I don't know where they lived. He was supposedly, a talented scholar and spent most of his time traveling around the world to study Air Nomad history after he joined the White Lotus. The other three who helped him try to kidnap Korra were recruits of his.”

 

“He could recruit people into the White Lotus? How high ranked was he?”

 

“He wasn't one of the Grandmasters but he was pretty far up and there was a rumor that Zaheer was the backup instructor if anything ever happened to Tenzin. But after we found out Korra was the Avatar, they tried to kidnap her. They were stopped, but Chief Sokka died of his injuries from the fight. After that, they were locked away in prisons, we thought they could never escape from. But now Zaheer is an airbender and he broke the others out.”

 

Mako paused for a few moments as he mulled it over. White Lotus members gone rogue, Sokka's death, inescapable prisons, Zaheer becoming an airbender, and Lin leaving Republic City to track down Korra as soon as she heard they were free. “So it's obvious these guys are dangerous, but how powerful are they?”

 

“You're a solid detective and a good fighter Mako, but if you run into any of those four then you should run.”

 

Tenzin had told them to wait three days for him to return and if not, then Lin was to report what had happened to Zuko. Two days passed without event and the sun was nearing the horizon on the third when Mako began fearing that Tenzin wasn't going to return when he saw a speck above the Outer Wall.

 

It grew steadily larger until Tenzin landed at the forest's edge on two shaky legs. His face was bruised and he looked ready to collapse on the spot. Mako stood up abruptly alarmed at the older man's appearance “What happened?”

 

“It's K-Korra. She-” As Tenzin tried to finish his sentence, he lost consciousness and was saved from face-planting by Mako's arms. Lin looked at him then towards the city and grimaced. “We'll find out later. Airships are coming this way, they must have been following him. We have to go now, keep under the trees as much as you can.” A few seconds later and Naga was bounding away with her three passengers.

 

***

 

It had taken them a week of flying and foraging for food along the way before Air Temple island came into view. Oogi rumbled at the sight, clearly good their journey was over and he didn't have to carry them any longer.

 

As the air bison was landing on the ground, Pema was sprinting towards them. Jinora had barely set foot on the ground when Pema all but tackled her with an all too tight hug. Her face was tear-stained and she looked on the verge of a breakdown “Thank the spirits you're all right! What happened in Ba Sing Se? Everyone's been worried sick since the news this morning!”

 

“What news? Mom, what's going on?”

 

“You don't...you don't know?” Tears began running down Pema's face. “It'll be easier to just show you.”

 

***

 

It had been a long week for Zaheer and his friends. Traveling to Republic city so they could read up on world events was hardly the way most people would choose to celebrate their freedom. The Equalist rebellion, the water tribe civil war, Unalaq's attack on the city and Harmonic Convergence.

 

The most interesting bit didn't come until the day that Jinora ended up returning to Republic City. Zaheer had been playing Pai Sho with P'Li when Ghazan entered their hideout with the day's paper in his hands. He dropped it onto their board just as Zaheer was about to move one of his tiles. “Look at this.”

 

Zaheer picked the paper up as Ming Hua twisted in her seat to look at them. There was a large picture of a young woman lying on the ground and above it was the following headline. “ **AVATAR DEAD IN BA SING SE.** ”

 

He stared at the paper in disbelief before reading out loud. “Authorities in Ba Sing Se announced that Avatar Korra's body was found in an alleyway of Ba Sing Se earlier this week. Police were called to the scene following reports of a brawl. Details are still unknown, but unnamed sources are saying that gang activity is suspected in the Avatar's death. The Earth Queen has yet to comment, but Grand Secretariat Gun offered the following statement. ' _The Avatar's death is a shock to us all and it saddens me that this happened in our city. Rest assured we will do everything in our power to find the ones responsible._ '

 

Silence filled the room as Zaheer finished reading.

 

The Avatar was dead.

 

After the news had sunk in, Ming Hua pursed her lips in annoyance “So now what are we going to do?”

 

Zaheer folded the paper and set it aside “It will be several years until the next Avatar is discovered. Ending the Avatar Cycle will have to wait until then. As for now, we'll move on to other targets.”

 

***

 

Raiko stared at the newspaper in front of him. He had read the article a dozen times by now, but he still couldn't believe what had happened. As if things couldn't get any worse for him. The murmurs of a no confidence vote had become an active discussion, spirit vines were still overrunning the city, Lin Beifong had taken an abrupt leave of absence after and on top of everything else, the Avatar had gotten herself killed.

 

He sighed and picked up the message that Beifong had sent him. ' _Some dangerous prisoners have escaped. I've left orders for the police to increase their patrols and you should put your security forces on alert._ ' There was a short description of Zaheer and his companions at the end.

 

The president set the note aside as he started heading for his bedroom where his wife was already sleeping. He pushed the door open as quietly as he could before making his way over to his dresser. Raiko started undoing his cufflinks when he saw a face he didn't recognize next to his reflected in the mirror.

 

Raiko spun towards the intruder, a mixture of fear and adrenaline coursing through his veins. The woman matched one of the descriptions that Beifong had sent him. A short and slender woman with water tendrils where her arms should have been and there was a black and white panda lily tucked into her dark hair.

 

He had dismissed the idea that someone without arms could be a bender, much less a powerful one, but seeing those eyes made him realize how very, very wrong he had been. Raiko bolted for the door but one of Ming Hua's tendrils knocked his feet out from under him. He scrambled back to his hands and knees in a desperate attempt to keep moving but a band of ice formed around one of his ankles jerking him to a halt. The president's fingers carved eight gouges into the carpet as he was dragged back into his bedroom towards Ming Hua.

 

Darkness.


	4. For both alike are an abomination

Hiroshi Sato stared at the pen and paper on the desk in front of him. It had been six months since his arrest and imprisonment following the Equalist's defeat. The prisoners in this jail were all kept in the main holding area except for him.

He had been placed in an isolated cell located in the most secure area of the prison. Hiroshi had only seen the other prisoners while being escorted to court for his trial and then on the way back to his cell. Aside from the guards who brought him food, he was alone in the dimly lit cell.

The only people who were allowed to visit him were family members and the only one of those remaining was his daughter Asami. And he had tried to kill her the last time either of them had seen each other.

He had been so sure of himself then. Everything had been straightforward, his decisions had all seemed correct at the time. But the longer you think about something the more likely you are to see errors or change your mind. And in this prison, time was he had.

He had been considered one of Republic City's geniuses even while still a young man. His innovations had revolutionized the automobile and manufacturing industries and made him one of the city's wealthiest citizens. And despite all of those accolades and honors, nothing he had ever learned was helping him figure out what to say to Asami.

The guard, Hadley, who had brought him the small writing desk, pen and paper frowned as Hiroshi picked the pen up and set it back down. Every time he had touched the pen, Hadley would grip the worn handle of his baton and adjust his stance.

Hiroshi reached out picking up the pen once more and had just set it's tip to paper when he and the guard watching him heard the distant rumble of an explosion. The prison's alarm klaxon began to blare and a voice come over the speakers. “All prisoners return to your cells, all available officers report to first floor. Breach in progress. I repeat -.”

The broadcasters voice was cut off by the sounds of a brief scuffle followed by silence. Hadley pulled out his baton and backed out of the cell before slamming the door shut. Aside from the klaxon all was silent until he could hear footsteps approaching the door of his cell. The only things down here were him and the sewage pipes. Hiroshi gripped the pen tightly in one hand and turned to face the door. It wasn't much of a weapon but it was all he had.

As the door began to open, Sato prepared himself to attack whoever it was, most likely benders seeking revenge. What he actually saw caused him to freeze in utter shock. The glowing goggles, mask and outfit of several Equalist soldiers were standing just outside his cell. The one who had opened his door beckoned to him, her voice sounding anxious “Sir, we're here to rescue you! Please come with us, there's no time to waste.”

After breaking out of the prison, he had been smuggled into a car and delivered to a safe house on the edge of the city. Amon's former lieutenant was seated on a chair across from Hiroshi. It was an unusual event, seeing the man without his headgear or the mustache that he had shaved off at some point.

“Is it really true? What they told me about Amon, he's actually a bender?”

“A bloodbender, I saw him using it on the Avatar and Amon used it on me when I tried to attack him. He was using us the whole time, everything we fought for, everything we believed was the invention of a madman.”

Hiroshi got to his feet and made his way to the fireplace and stared at the blaze inside. “Then why did you break me out? And where is Amon now?”

The other man shifted uneasily “We don't know. He disappeared after people saw him bending in the bay and no one has seen him since. As for why we broke you , take a look at this.” He reached down and started shuffling through the mess of papers on the desk before handing a page to Hiroshi.

Hiroshi flipped it over and saw the picture of Korra on the front. He quickly skimmed through the article then dropped the paper onto the floor “So the Avatar's dead. How is that a reason to stage a jailbreak? She was just muscle, it's the council who has the power. Tenzin, Tarrlok and the rest of them.”

“You mean you don't know? The council was disbanded, there were elections. Republic City has a president now. A non-bender at that. At least we did until this morning...”

Sato turned to look at the lieutenant stunned. “I..what? You mean... we actually made a difference? But what happened this morning?”

“I guess you could look at it like that... the president, Raiko, was killed last night. And it wasn't just him either, Saikhan and a few of the other police officers, the vice president and some other government officials. Anyone who could have taken charge was taken out in a single night. There was a radio broadcast this morning by whoever did it. Since then riots have broken out all over the city. Everything fell apart in a matter of hours..”

Hiroshi looked back into the fire for several minutes as he gathered his thoughts. “Where is my daughter?”

“She left with the Avatar a few weeks ago, she's probably still somewhere in the Earth Kingdom right now.”

“I see. We'll need supplies, equipment, factories, mecha tanks, but most importantly – we need people. Get the word out to whoever you can.”

***

She had tried to count the plumes of smoke rising from Republic City but gave up as the plumes had begun merging into each other and forming a giant acrid cloud hovering over everything. Jinora could hear the faint wails of emergency vehicles desperately trying to battle the fires throughout the city.

The first plume of smoke had appeared around noon the day that Raiko's death had been announced on the radio. There had been some emergency messages later , but the radio had gone silent afterwards. As night fell, they could see the reddish glow of buildings burning in the distance.

In more peaceful times, she would leave the island to visit bookstores or get the newspaper, but now Jinora was marooned with the rest of them. Her siblings, her mother and aunt Kya had remained on the island when she had left seeking airbenders. Kai, Asami and one of her pilots, Bolin, Bumi, some air acolytes and a few new airbenders made up the rest of the group watching the city fall to pieces.

A boat had approached on the second day, its occupants holding a variety of makeshift weapons. They quickly sped away after a healed Bolin had hurled a boulder at them. Other then that, things had remained tense but quiet. It wasn't until the third day that the radios on the island crackled to life and a voice came out of them.

“Citizens of Republic City, this is Hiroshi Sato. As you all know, President Raiko was killed at the hands of an unknown waterbender. In the wake of his passing, Republic City has devolved into chaos as riots have broken out. These rioters are rampaging through the streets, vandalizing and looting everything in sight. The Triads are taking advantage of the situation for their own benefit at the cost of everyone else.”

“The Equalist movement cannot and will not let this stand.”

“Ever since I learned that Amon was a bender, I have tried to understand what his goals really were. I have not succeeded. Whatever motivations he had, whatever insanity drove him, it escapes me. The Equalist movement and its members were nothing but tools for him to use. Things are different now.”

“Under Amon's demented leadership, we sought to create a world without bending, a world where all people would be equal. I have since come to understand that was a mistake and our actions misguided.”

“The United Republic was created in the belief that people, benders and non-benders alike, from all four nations could live together in peace and harmony. It was a beautiful dream, but it has failed. The United Republic has failed.”

“There have always been four nations in this world, each with their own element. But there is no place for those without bending until today. As of now, benders are no longer welcome in Republic City. We are tired of being oppressed and treated as second-class citizens. To all non-benders who are listening, I ask you to join us in fighting for a home of our own. To the rest of you, get out.”

“Republic City is ours.”

The radio went silent. Jinora looked sideways at the people standing around her. Kai, Bolin, Kya and Pema all looked equally surprised and dismayed by Hiroshi's words. Asami rubbed her eyes for a split second before turning and running towards the nearest grove of trees. Bolin was quick to follow her “Asami. Asami! Wait!”

Jinora looked to the two older women in a mute appeal for help. Pema was shaking her head “The Equalists are back and Zaheer's broken out. I'm not going through this again Kya.”

Kai tilted his head slightly, a curious look on his face. “Whose Zaheer?”

Pema gave him an inscrutable look. “It's... a long story. But we're not safe here anymore. I'll help the acolytes get the bisons ready. We'll leave tomorrow morning.” Kya didn't look surprised, she hadn't been around during Amon's rebellion, but Pema had told her everything about the attack and her subsequent imprisonment by the Equalists. Where will you go?”

“The southern air temple, the northern temple is too close to Republic City.” Pema hurried off leaving Kai and Jinora with Kya. She looked at the two of them standing next to each other and for a second Jinora thought she was trying not to smile despite the situation. “Tell me something Jinora, have you ever heard of Zaofu?”

“Zaofu? That's the home of the Metal Clan isn't it?”

“Very good. It slipped my mind, but we got a message Su them saying they have a new airbender. Someone should go there and I can't think of anyone better than you.” Her eyes flickered towards Kai “And you can't leave your new student behind here, he'll go with you.”

Jinora stared at Kya feeling confused at the sudden and completely unexpected suggestion from her aunt. “You want me to go to Zaofu? Why not just have this person join us at the southern air temple? It'd be easier to learn airbending at one of the air temples and it's where everyone else is going...”

Kya sighed slightly as her face grew somber “When an Avatar dies, there's a window of around fifteen to twenty years until the next one is ready. If you've studied history at all then you would know those gaps are the most violent years because everyone wants to take advantage of the Avatar's absence. Zuko kept things in check after my father passed away but things are already deteriorating and it's barely been a week.”

Kya didn't need to explain what she was referring to. It was still hard to fathom, for any of them. Jinora was still hoping to see Korra show up with that smirk on her face as she yelled surprise but deep down she knew it wasn't going to happen.

Kai shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable as he had apparently been forgotten by the two of them. “So why do you want us to go to Zaofu?”

The older woman looked at the ex thief turned air nomad “Someone is going to have to help keep the peace until the next Avatar is ready. The two of you are still young, but so were my parents when they ended the Hundred Year War. It's time for you to leave the nest and strike out on your own. That won't happen if you go the southern air temple.”

Jinora wrung her hands for a moment as she considered her aunt's words. It made sense, but she could feel butterflies fluttering in her stomach at the path Kya was lying before her. She looked at Kai hesitantly. He gave her a grin and squeezed her shoulder “I'll follow you wherever you go.” Jinora gave a shy smile in return before looking back at Kya. “I don't think mom would like me running off like that...”

“Don't worry about it, I'll smooth things over with her when she finds out you're gone and I'll have Oogi ready for you to leave tonight.”

True to her word, Oogi was saddled up and had more than enough supplies and gear. Jinora lifted an eyebrow as she checked everything. Four sleeping bags?

“Jinora? Kai? What are you doing here?” Bolin looked genuinely surprised to find them by the bison. Jinora tried to come up with a lie that sounded plausible but nothing came to mind. On the other hand, Asami looked like something had just clicked for her. “Kya suggested you go to Zaofu didn't she? Well, we're going with you.”

Kai looked puzzled “I get why Jinora is going but why would you want to leave? You're not a bender.”

Asami's eyes flashed angrily and her face hardened as she glared at Kai “You little....wait.... of course you wouldn't know... I'll tell you once we're on our way.”

Living on the streets had hardened Kai, but hearing Asami's account of the Equalist rebellion was enough to make his childhood seem almost easy. “I was just starting to think the whole thing was finally behind me and then my dad breaks out and picks up right where he left off. I don't want to go through that mess again.”

***

The airbenders had been split up into pairs and spread apart through the cavern for this exercise. Queen Hou-Ting was standing off to one side to observe their progress for herself. The Dai Li's skills were well known, but in the end they were still earthbenders and unsuitable to train benders of a different element.

Under Karman's tutelage, they had progressed faster then she had hoped for. Their numbers were still small, but the thirty or so airbenders in front of her were beginning to adeptly move through their forms as they sparred with each other.

“Tell me, how soon do you think they will be ready?”

The Dai Li's head was standing to her right and just a pace behind her. “They aren't ready for fighting other benders, but they can handle the majority of non-benders right now. Elite groups like the Kyoshi warriors would still beat them in a fight however. I would recommend another week before sending the Jasta out on the easier raids to be safe.”

The queen gave the extensions on her hand a cursory glance “And what about the surgeon and his team? I trust you tied up that loose end.”

“We're currently re-educating them since their skills are useful, but they can disappear if you wish it.”

Hou-Ting lifted one hand and beckoned with her fingers. Karman looked like she was engrossed in her students, but had remained acutely aware of the queen. She was kowtowing at Hou-Ting's feet in an instant. “You summoned me, Your Majesty?”

The queen gestured at Karman to stand up so she could see the results of the surgeons work. Karman climbed up to her feet but remained staring at her feet to avoid looking the queen in the face.

Her skin and eyes were still the same color, but that was all that remained of Korra. Her forehead was wrinkled, her nose shortened, chin widened, one cheek had been scarred and the overall shape of her face was much more squarish than it had been before. Her bust had been reduced in size and Karman's hair had been dyed gray before being shaved down to her scalp.

“Have you begun training them how to use the gliders yet Karman?”

“We have been working on that Your Majesty. We merely await your permission to travel out to the hills northwest of the city.”

“You seem rather eager to get out of the city. You're not thinking of deserting me, are you my child?”

Karman's face couldn't have looked more horrified at the idea. She kowtowed as quickly as she could, pressing her head into the dirt and trembling at the queen's suggestion. “Of course not Your Majesty. My duty in life is to serve.”

Hou-Ting smiled for an instant. 'Are you watching Aang? I do hope you're enjoying the show.'

***

Fung tilted the bucket further as he poured the last of the feed into the wooly sow's trough. He grimaced and rubbed at his back. It had been a longer day than normal since he had needed to fix the fence after it had gotten rooted up by the hybrid pigs again. It was only a couple of weeks before he would take most of the sows to be sheared and slaughtered so things would get easier after that.

The old man turned and started heading back to his house knowing his wife would have dinner almost ready. He stopped at the doorway as he pulled his work boots off before slipping into a pair of indoor sandals. He had just entered the dining room when the front door was knocked off it's hinges and slammed into the floor.

A woman with extremely short gray hair barged in with a wooden staff in one hand. She was covered head to toe in unadorned black leather armor and wore a mask that covered everything beneath her eyes.

Fung felt a mixture of anger and fear at the intruders barging into his home. “What do you-” She cut him off immediately “Shut up. You're coming with me.”

Fung started to back away and look for something he could use as a weapon but the woman threw a punch in his direction. The blast of air hit him right between his floating ribs and drove him to his knees. She strode forward and grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him towards the doorway as a second figure dressed like the first entered through the backdoor and headed straight for his wife Lily.

As the two of them were dragged out into the street, Fung could see other houses being raided like theirs had been. The others, his wife among them, were being forced to their knees in the middle of the street while one of the raiders went about snapping bands of metal around their necks. Short lengths of chain ran from band to band forming a single continuous line.

As Fung watched, all of the other villagers were marched away and torches were thrown through windows, onto piles of hay or anything else that looked flammable. The woman who dragged him into the streets shoved him to the ground and pointed opposite where the others had been taken. “Go. Let those who defy the Earth Queen know the price of their treason.”

The hand holding the wooden staff pressed a button on it extending a set of waxen fins. A second later and she was soaring through the air and disappearing into the evening gloom. Fung watched the village he had been born in burn to the ground before turning to face south.

And started walking.


	5. To fly one must be free

The canopy of the forest was thick and hid the sky from view, but Mako could see the airships looming overhead in the distance when there were breaks. Mako was holding the reins in front, Lin was seated on the rear of Naga's saddle and Tenzin was sandwiched in-between them.

Naga loped along at a quick trot as they navigated through the dense foliage. Mako had been galloping earlier, but had slowed down once they had put some distance between them and their pursuers. He had been worried about automobiles trying to run them down until they had ventured deeper into the forest.

It was almost a surreal experience for Mako. He had spent the overwhelming majority of his life in Republic City. There was always something making noise in the city no matter where you were - people, cars, trains, factories – the list went on and on. But the only sound out here was what you brought with him. As Naga's breathing subsided things eventually grew still and the silence began to feel oppressive.

“So chief, any idea where are we going?”

“It doesn't matter, we have to lose the airships before we can head back to Ba Sing Se.”

They eventually came to a stop a few hours after night had descended. Tenzin had eventually woken, but he still looked haggard. Mako piled arranged some rocks in a circle with some branches in the center to make a small fire. It wasn't much, but it took some of the edge off the chill in the air. He looked over at Tenzin “You were saying something about Korra before you passed out. What is it?”

Tenzin looked at the ground for a long moment before saying it. “... She's dead.”

Mako stared at Tenzin in shock before he found himself grabbing Tenzin's shirt and violently yanking the man to his feet. “What do you mean she's dead? She can't be dead!” Beifong reacted in a heartbeat as she grabbed Mako from behind and tossed him to the ground. “Get a hold of yourself kid. Tenzin, tell us everything.”

“Getting into Ba Sing Se was easy, but I didn't make any progress after that. The entire city is crawling with guards and Dai Li agents. They were watching everything and everyone, anyone who caused a disturbance would get snatched right off the streets and disappear. I tried looking for rumors or any clues about Korra that could give me a lead but I didn't hear a thing. The only news about us were the airships crashes. Until there was an announcement on the radio that Korra had been killed by some muggers.”

“I didn't believe it at first but the report said an autopsy was scheduled as part of the investigation. I broke into the morgue to see for myself...it was her... I tried to take the body, but the Dai Li ambushed me and I had to drop her and run.” Tenzin put his face in his hands as he finished talking and shudders of grief began shaking his body.

Mako felt a numbness settling into his chest as the realization of what had happened began to sink in. The Avatar Spirit would be reborn somewhere, but Korra was gone. And at the hands of some muggers? 

The idea was laughable to him and yet it had happened. Korra had fought the Equalists, survived bloodbenders like Amon and Tarrlok and had even defeated the dark spirit Vaatu in combat. And she had been killed by a mugger?

It felt like the universe was playing a twisted joke on everyone but laughter was the furthest thing from his mind at that moment. Mako looked towards Lin as he climbed back to his feet. Beifong had folded her arms while listening and her expression had remained neutral and devoid of any emotion. He felt a sudden spike of anger “Well, are you going to say anything or just keep standing there like a statue? Do you even care that -”

Lin's fingers cracked against his cheek as she left a red imprint of her hand on his face. “You idiot. Of course I care, but there's a time to grieve and this isn't it. Right now we have to worry about us, those airships are still up there. Get some sleep if you can, I'll take first watch.”

Beifong strode away, her anger evident in her gait. She didn't go far, but the tree she sat next to was just far enough away that they couldn't see her face in the darkness.

***

Bolin stared at the misshapen meteorite resting on the stone pedestal in front of him. The dark black rock's edges and facets glinted in the sunlight as he concentrated. 'All you have to do is move, even if it's only a little. Just give me a wobble or something. Anything'. He grimaced as he stretched out his hands imploring it to respond to his will. The rock remained so still that he thought it was trying to spite.

“Are you trying to metalbend again Bolin?”

He spun around startled by Opal's voice. A full month in Zaofu and he still hadn't gotten used to how quietly Suyin's daughter could move. It was impressive and even just a bit eerie. One second you could be completely alone in the middle of nowhere and the next she would be standing right next to you. It had only gotten worse now that Jinora was teaching her how to do that hovering in the air technique or whatever they called it.

Bolin glanced at the meteorite behind him before dropping his shoulders looking dejected “Yes. Please don't tell Su.”

“Why not? She'd be happy to teach you if you would just ask her.”

“I know. I just don't want to bother her. She seems like she's really busy and stressed out right now. The last thing she needs is me bugging her about metalbending.” Opal looked a bit troubled as she glanced towards her family's house “I've noticed that too but mom hasn't said anything. We tried asking Kuvira when she's not traveling, but she won't say anything either, not even to Junior.”

Bolin scratched the side of his head for a split second before remembering she was referring to her  
oldest brother Baatar whose dad was also named Baatar but everyone except Kuvira called the son Junior. He waved his hand dismissively “If it was important, they'd tell us. How is the airbending training with Jinora going?”

Opal clasped her hands together looking excited. “Mom says she's going to let me actually try flying for real. We're heading out to the hills tomorrow. You're coming right?” He slapped Opal a bit too hard on the shoulder knocking her off balance “You have to ask? Of course I'll be there.”

Bolin wasn't the only one in attendance the next morning. Her parents, all of her siblings and Kuvira had piled themselves into a small fleet of jeeps to watch. Opal was already there with Jinora and Kai when they arrived at the hill. Since leaving Republic City, the two airbenders had seemed almost inseparable.

“Are you sure this is safe? If something goes wrong then she could fall a long way.” Su had finally given in to Opal's pleading but seemed to be reconsidering now that she could see the cliff Opal was going to be jumping off of.

An airbender's first time flying at genuinely dangerous heights was always a nerve wracking experience but Jinora did her best to placate the worried mother “I promise everything will be fine. I'll be at her side the entire time and Kai will be flying Oogi down below in case anything goes wrong.”

After Su relented, Opal and Jinora made the trek up the hillside and over to the cliff's side. Kai was holding Oogi's reins as the air bison stood waiting near the base of the cliff. The top of the cliff was two hundred feet or so above them, but Bolin could still see Jinora's arm gestures. There was a brief pause before Jinora disappeared from view then reappeared as she hurled herself over the edge and began circling above them.

After another pause, Opal made a similar leap and joined Jinora in the sky. For an agonizingly long moment, she plummeted towards the ground before gaining control and soaring back up towards her teacher.

The two of them flew through several loops and dives before eventually landing to cheers from the assembled spectators. Opal leapt at Bolin, her flying hug nearly knocking him over. He squeezed her in response as he lifted her up into the air “That was awesome! You were falling like a rock but then you said no way and whooooosh.”

Bolin was quick to drop Opal back onto her feet when Su coughed into her hand and gave him one of those trademark Beifong glares. He scooted several feet away from Opal before adding in a much smaller voice “You flew. Yaaay.” Opal gave him a commiserating look before getting swamped by her brothers.

As they headed back towards the city, Bolin spotted a small group of people walking along the river bank in the distance. Kuvira called Suyin on her radio after Bolin had pointed them out to her. The jeeps swerved off the road heading for the pedestrians.

There were three of them, a middle aged couple and their teenage son. All three looked travel weary and their shoes had been worn thin. Su, Baatar and Kuvira got out of the jeeps after an admonishment to the rest to stay back, just in case.

After a short conversation, Su got back into her car and Baatar replaced Kuvira at the wheel with Bolin and the twins. Kuvira led the trio in another direction as the rest of them drove off. Bolin's curiosity had been piqued and he couldn't resist asking “What was that all about? Who are they?”

“Refugees from the north. They said the Jasta had been spotted near their village so they fled south. They went to Omashu first but got turned away so they came here.”

“The Jasta? Who are the Jasta?”

“It's a group that's been raiding villages and towns in the name of the Earth Queen. Su's kept the news quiet, but things have been getting worse and worse up there.”

***

Their plan had been to lose their pursuers then find their way back to Republic City. A month later and the airships had doggedly remained on their trail. Tenzin, Mako and Lin had tried every possible trick and strategy they knew. Covering their tracks, false trails, decoys, and even hiding in a cave Lin had made failed. They had tried to stand and fight once, but there were too many soldiers for the three of them to defeat.

The chase had taken them through forests, across small streams and one great river and over the mountains until they stood on the edge of the Si Wong desert. They had managed to put some ground between them and the airships but they were still faintly visible in the distance.

Ahead of them lay a small smattering of crude stone buildings and thick canvas tents. Mako frowned as he looked the area over “I don't remember seeing this on any map I've ever looked at. What is this place?”

“That's because it doesn't want to be on maps. If it was, then people would know it existed. You know about the problems we've had with drug trafficking in Republic City Mako. Well, the Triads get all their stuff from here.”

“Then why hasn't anyone done anything?”

“Money talks. Anyways, if we're lucky then there will be a sand sailer we can take.”

None of the other people on the dirt road down the middle of town looked at them, but Mako could feel unseen eyes on him. Tenzin's tattoos and air nomad clothing, a woman dressed in metal armor and a polar bear dog couldn't have stuck out more if they had tried.

It had been a slim hope, but one that had been rewarded. At the far edge of the outpost sat three sand sailers and beyond them was the open desert. Mako scanned the area but saw no one watching the sand sailers. He started untying the rope when a voice as dry as the desert chuckled.

“Thieves in this place? It was to be filled with that which corrupts the mind but those here have learned not to steal that which is ours.”

Mako dropped the rope to the ground and stood back up. Tenzin and Lin turned to face in different directions as figures wearing turbans and clothing that covered every inch of skin surrounded them. A few of them pulled out copper blades and began moving closer while others raised their arms and bent their knees.

Lin was first to react as she pulled the knives out of their hands and buried them in the sand at her feet. Mako and Tenzin started to when a voice used to being obeyed brought them all to a halt. “Stop! The desert will go thirsty this day.”

Another sandbender, taller than even Tenzin had appeared seemingly from nowhere like the others had. He pushed through the circle surrounding them and walked forward to stand in front of Lin. “A metalbender with scars on her right cheek.”

His gaze turned towards Tenzin “And a man wearing the tattoos of an airbending master. She is Lin, daughter of Toph and you are Tenzin, son of Aang.” He placed a fist against the palm of his other hand and bowed to them. “I am Moussa, son of Armastan. It is my honor to greet you this day.”

Moussa gestured at the other sandbenders who dispersed in an instant. Some went to sit on their sailors while others disappeared back to wherever it was that they had come from. Mako slowly dropped his hands back to his side as the towering sandbender looked at them appraisingly. “It is a curious thing that the children of Aang and Toph would come here. And it is even more curious that you would try to take that which is not yours.”

His words had a strangely formal tone to them, but Mako could sense a faint undercurrent of menace to them nonetheless. Tenzin turned his head to look back in the direction they had come from. The airships hadn't quite reached the town yet, but they were perhaps two or three minutes away if that. Moussa followed his gaze to see what the airbender was looking at. “Airships belonging to the Earth Queen. I would call that curious as your being here is curious, but such things would make one's head ache.”

He looked back at Tenzin before appearing to make up his mind. “Long ago members of our tribe committed a great sin against your father and I would see our debt repaid this day.” His gaze shifted to Lin “I knew the second daughter of Toph when she lived among us. We will aid you in her name.”

Moussa turned and raised a fist towards the other sandbenders. At once they began preparing the sailors for travel. “Come, we will take you to Kel Ahaggar and from there you can choose your way.” It suddenly dawned on Mako that Moussa had ignored him. “Wait, you're not leaving me here are you?”

“You seek our aid? We do not know you or have debt to your family.” He looked at Lin “This one cannot come with us unless you claim him.” Beifong's eyes swung from Moussa to Mako and then up to the rapidly approaching airships. “Whatever. I claim him. Now let's go.”

Lin and Tenzin climbed aboard the sand sailer with Moussa while Mako coaxed Naga onto one of the other two sailors. Tenzin sat and watched as one sandbender took a hold of of the steering rudder while another started bending a funnel of sand beneath the sail.

As the sails billowed outwards, the sailors glided away from the outpost and into the desert. Tenzin turned his head to look behind them. His hopes of finally losing his dogged pursuers were dashed when he saw the airships were quickly gaining ground.

Moussa glanced back to see what he was looking at before clapping Tenzin on the shoulder. “Worry not son of Aang. Airships are faster than our sailors but they are ill suited for the desert's fury. You will see soon enough.”

The three sailors came to a halt once the smuggler's den had disappeared into the horizon. The airships slowed and began to circle before a voice came over a loudspeaker from one of them. “You are harboring suspects believed to be involved in the murder of Avatar Korra. Hand them over and no harm will come to you.”

Lin and Tenzin gave Moussa an apprehensive look but the sandbender shook his head. “We have promised you shelter and we will hold to it. What comes then is not my place to decide.” He placed his fists against each other and raised them towards the sky.

As Tenzin watched, the sand beneath the airships began to stream off the ground into a myriad of spinning discs. As the sandbenders continued flowing through their forms, the discs grew larger and denser until Moussa thrust his hands to the sky as his voice carried across the desert. “Now!”

The discs vanished as the sand flew upwards and struck like snakes at the airships from every direction. Some slammed into the propellers while others shattered the windows on the gondolas as they forced their way inside. Others coiled themselves around the airship entirely before all of the sand began to thicken and grow solid.

The propellers began spinning slower and slower until they stopped altogether before bursting into flames. At the same time the coils wrapped around the airship began constricting themselves tighter and tighter until the metal beneath began to buckle then fracture in a hundred different spots.

The airships sent towering sprays of sand out in all directions as they slammed into the ground with a thunderous impact. Moussa waved one hand in a circle at the others and they started making their way back to the sailors. Tenzin looked at the airships for a moment then towards their rescuer. “You're just going to leave them out here?”

Moussa looked back at Tenzin, his face and tone both unperturbed “All who enter the desert place themselves at its mercy. It is not for me to decide their fate and we are still near the edge. If they are not fools then they will live.”

The sailers hadn't been moving for very long when something caught Lin's attention. She stood and shaded her eyes as she looked off into the distance. “There's something moving out there, something big. Really big.”

Moussa moved to stand next to her as he looked in the same direction. His tone was almost one of reverence when he saw what she had spotted “You have sharp eyes daughter of Toph. My people call them the Grandfathers of the Desert, but outsiders refer to them as sand sharks. That which disturbs the land will draw attention and that one may not be alone in his curiosity.”

“But enough of that. We have far to go still and you are not prepared for the desert. Your armor will soon grow hot enough to cook you inside of it. Count yourself fortunate that we have spare outfits this day.” He opened the sailer's small storage chest and pulled out a pair of outfits, one for each of his guests. 

 

“Take care that you do not leave any skin exposed for the sun will burn it. And here are the goggles we use while traveling, it will protect your eyes from the glare.” The sailers continued to move deeper into the desert as Lin and Tenzin changed into the outfits that Moussa had provided. 

Kel Ahaggar awaited.


	6. That which is unheard

Asami examined the device in her hand with a critical eye. It wasn't very large but there were a lot of smaller components that she had needed to fabricate and assemble for it to work properly. The two most distinctive parts were the alphabet ring and the slightly oversized gear that would allow it to rotate.

Her workbench had nearly twenty other copies sitting off to one side and their eventual resting places were stacked on the other. The boxes they were meant for vaguely resembled a typewriter but there was no place for paper on them. There was a second unit that would be attached to print out a message but that would happen after she finished assembling everything. Asami set the rotor in its slot before moving on to the next one.

She wasn't sure what exactly this device was, but the complexity and intricacy of Zhu Li's invention had completely caught Asami by surprise. The first time she had met Zhu Li had been aboard Varrick's ship with Bolin. The mousy woman hadn't appeared to be anything other than a personal assistant to Varrick at the meeting or any time since then for that matter. 

After arriving in Zaofu, Su Yin had offered Asami a position in her new technology division that the matriarch had just founded. Things had gotten rather testy when Asami found out Varrick was in charge and afterwards the eccentric entrepreneur had steered clear of her. Zhu Li had been acting as an intermediary since and had quickly shown herself to be more brilliant than Asami had ever realized.

The design had been entirely Zhu Li's but Asami was the only one of the three with any real fabrication skills so it had fallen to her to manufacture all of it. There was a knock on the door as she was placing another rotor.

Asami glanced over her shoulder towards the doorway to see Su standing there. “May I come in? Zhu Li said you had finished making everything last night.” Asami pushed herself back from the table as she grabbed a towel to wipe her hands off “You don't have to ask if you can enter, you own the place after all.”

Su waved her hand dismissively as she approached the bench “I might be the matriarch, but this is your workshop for as long as you're in the city.” She looked curiously at one of the rotors “May I?”  
Asami handed her the rag “Go ahead, but I just finished lubricating the gears earlier.”

Su took the towel before picking one of the rotors up to take a closer look. “Fine craftsmanship Asami. I'm not sure any of the metalbenders here could have done better.” She set the towel and rotor back onto the workbench. “I take it all the tools and the workplace is satisfactory? I would have checked on you earlier but matters have kept me occupied.”

Asami gave a smile in response as she looked around the shop “There aren't any issues with those, but I'd like to pick my next project if that's alright with you.” She gestured at the components on the table “This was an interesting task, but I don't know what I'm making or what it's being used for.”

Su glanced at the parts again before giving Asami an appraising look as she thought something over. “Did Bolin tell you about the refugees he saw yesterday? I assumed he would.” She put her hands behind her back and began to pace.

“The Earth Queen's policies have never been popular since she took the throne. There have been numerous towns and even a few provinces that have been suffering insurrections and uprisings in recent years. She's tried to stamp them out periodically but without any real success until recently. In the last month a group of airbenders called the Jasta has begun to pop up. Many of the towns that refused to pay taxes or were revolting have been attacked by them. At first they were taking prisoners and marching them off to platinum mines but they stopped doing that last week.”

“The Queen sent out a decree that any town or village who continued to defy her would be considered guilty of high treason and would be paid a visit by the Jasta. There have been three reported raids since that message was broadcast.”

“Since then, refugees have begun to fleeing south towards Omashu and now us.” Su stopped pacing and gestured at the boxes on the table. “At first I was hoping these were isolated incidents and that things would settle down but they haven't. Zaofu has been an autonomous city since I began to build it. Hou-Ting has tried to pressure me before but I was always able to fend her off. “It's only a matter of time until she comes after us.”

Asami was taken aback at the sheer suddenness of Su's deciding to confide in her and just how candid the matriarch was being. “S-So what are these devices for? I don't see what they have to do with any of this.”

“These devices, Zhu Li calls them Scherbius machines. She designed them as a way of encrypting any radio or telegraph transmissions we send so we can send messages without anyone else listening in. Hou-Ting may be coming for my city but I'm not going to let her have it without putting up a fight.”

***

Mako found himself exceedingly thankful for the sandbenders outfit after the long day of traveling through the desert. He had thought Republic City could get hot at times, but the desert heat was more brutal than anything the firebender had thought possible. He looked up at the sandbender steering their sailer “I can't believe that people actually chose to live out here. How do you stand it?”

The man chuckled softly “You should visit the desert during the summer when the sun is hottest. As for us... those who cannot withstand the desert leave or perish but we remain and are made better for it. But enough of such matters, we are here.”

Mako looked around him as the sand sailers came to a halt. Aside from a few scraggly bushes and a solitary cactus, the desert was completely empty of anything but sand and some rocks. “What do you mean we're here? There's nothing here.”

The man laughed once more “Nothing that you can see, but the desert has many secrets in its depths.” As Mako watched, one of the rocks was lifted up and pushed to one side revealing a set of stairs leading down into the earth.

Moussa approached Mako from the side with Lin and Tenzin in tow. He gestured to the man Mako had been talking to. A moment later and Mako's clothes were handed to him. The tall sandbender turned towards the stairs “Come, I will guide you to the sleeping areas.” He turned and began descending the stairs. His guests were quick to follow after them with Naga looking particularly excited to get out of the desert sun.

As they moved deeper into the earth, Lin cast her gaze at the walls on either side. “This doesn't look like a natural rock formation. How did you find this place?” Moussa looked back over his shoulder at her and chuckled. “You bend metal while we bend sand yet are we not earthbenders as well? I would not have thought that to escape you but perhaps you were in the sun for too long.”

Lin's cheeks flushed at the jab for a moment before she turned her head to the side and folded her arms looking almost petulant. Mako was quick to turn his gaze to the area around them as they left the stairs behind them.

Beifong had been right now that he looked more closely at the walls around then. It all must have been shaped by earthbenders and expert ones from what he could tell. The yellow tinted sandstone was perfectly smooth to the touch of his fingers and there were no joints or mortar anywhere.

The ceiling weren't as high as those in Republic City but there was room enough for even Moussa to stand fully upright. The walls of the room met in gentle curves as they flowed into tunnels leading deeper into the commune. Moussa led them down a tunnel on the left side that curved downward even further into the ground until it opened up into a large chamber.

The chamber was round and had dozens of small doorways leading off it in all sides “This is our sleeping area. We have some unoccupied rooms for now that you can use while you are here. I must leave you here, Tin Hinan will be expecting to hear from me, but my daughter will see to your needs.”

Moussa pulled off his headgear as he strode up to a girl around Mako's age sitting next to one of the rooms. His brown hair was similar to that of his daughters in shade, but hers had lighter streaks running through it. The two spoke quietly before she set the clothes she was mending aside and made her way to them.

Her height became apparent as she drew closer to them. She wasn't as tall as her father, but she was equal with Tenzin and clearly taller than Lin or Mako. And if that wasn't enough to make her stand out then her sharply defined face and piercing topaz eyes would have accomplished it on their own.

She placed a fist against her palm and bowed deeply forward at the waist. “It is my honor to meet the son of Aang and the daughter of Toph.” Her gaze flickered towards Mako “I am sorry, but my father said nothing of you.”

Mako tucked the pile of clothes he was holding under his left arm and extended his right hand to her “My name's Mako. It's nice to meet you... sorry, but I missed your name.” She looked at his hand, unsure of the gesture “I am Yulduz, daughter of Moussa and your parents are?” Mako dropped his hand back to his side “My father's name was San and my mother was Naoki.”

Yulduz looked at him strangely for an instant before giving him a much shallower bow then she had to Tenzin and Lin. “Welcome son of San.” She turned back to Tenzin and Lin “If you will follow me then I will show to your quarters.” Yulduz turned around and began walking towards the far end of the room.

She stopped in between a pair of doorways and gestured to the one on the left. “These rooms have not been used in some time but we keep them clean regardless. When you wish to sleep, son of Aang, let any of us know and we will close the door for you and open it again in the morning.”

She turned to Lin and gestured to the room on the right. “You may stay in this chamber daughter of Toph.” She bowed to them once more and turned to leave before Mako spoke up. “And where am I supposed to sleep? Is there another room nearby?”

Yulduz stopped short and turned to look at him. “You ask for your own chamber? What need have you of that when you can rest with her you have exchanged claim with?” Mako and Lin exchanged a glance in confusion before Lin folded her arms looking somewhat wary. “Exchanged claim? What does that mean?”

Moussa's daughter tapped a finger on her chin for a moment “My apologies, it has been a long time since I spoke to outsiders. Exchanging claims is our version of what you call...what's that word again...”

She furrowed her brow in thought before it came to her. “Marriage! That's it. My father told me of this, he said you had exchanged claims with this one daughter of Toph.” Yulduz gestured at Mako as she finished speaking.

Mako looked at Yulduz and then he looked at Tenzin. Both men's heads swiveled towards Lin as they both began backing up before the inevitable Beifong eruption happened. Lin stared at Yulduz in silence as her cheek began to twitch. “You...think me and Mako are... married?” Mako began to turn sideways and started preparing himself to run when Lin began to laugh.

Of all the possible reactions Mako was expecting from the police chief, laughter was the last thing he would have picked. And it was far from the dry and cynical laugh he had grown used to hearing at the police station. Lin's arms had dropped to her stomach and she fell to her knees as the torrent of guffaws ripped free.

Yulduz's composure began to crack as she stared at the laughing woman in front of her. “I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give offense daughter of Toph.” She gestured at a third doorway as her next words came out in a rush “You can use that room over there son – sorry Mako. If you'll excuse me.” She bowed slightly and rushed away as quickly as her dignity would let her.

After she had gone, Lin's laughs began to trail off as she pushed herself back to her feet. She rubbed at her eyes for a moment “Try not to take it personally Mako but the idea of us being married is... well I haven't heard something that funny in a long time.” Lin disappeared into her room before sealing the doorway with her earthbending.

Mako exchanged a glance with Tenzin before he coughed into his hand. “Well I guess I'll go change then.” The room Yulduz had pointed out to him wasn't very large, perhaps no more than eight feet from the doorway to the far wall and ten feet between the other two walls. There was a pile of blankets and a thin mattress on the floor along with some reliefs of animals he didn't recognize carved into the walls.

Fortunately there was just enough room for him to stay out of sight as he changed out of the sandbender clothes and into the clothes he had been carrying. Just as he finished there was a knock at the door. An elderly man was standing there with what looked like a long robe in his hands. “The lady Yulduz sent me son of San. She asked that I tend to your laundry and help prepare you for this evening's feast.”

“My laundry? I don't have any...” It was only then Mako realized he had been wearing the same outfit for the past month ever since Ba Sing Se. There hadn't been much time for cleaning his clothes or even basic hygiene when being chased by the Earth Queen's forces. His face began to go red with embarrassment at how he must look. And smell. “That'd be nice, thank you. Also what feast?”

The old man gestured towards one of the tunnels with one arm as Mako exited the room. “The son of Aang and the daughter of Toph are here. It has been a very long time since we've had such illustrious guests honor us with their presence. Tin Hinan is throwing a feast in celebration.” He paused then added almost as an afterthought “And you are invited as well.”

Mako felt a sudden wave of unease pass through him as he followed the man down the tunnel. The sooner he got away from this place the better.


	7. Chapter 7

Tenzin watched Mako disappear with the old sandbender before glancing around, feeling a bit unsure of the situation. A shower or bath or whatever the people here used to clean themselves sounded fantastic but the man had ignored him.

Two of the sandbenders from Moussa's sand-sailer approached him barely a minute later. Both were still wearing the same outfit as they had outside and each had a pair of sheathed copper knives hooked onto their belts. The shorter one bowed slightly to him “Son of Aang, Tin Hinan, the matriarch wishes to speak with you. We will escort you to her.”

He turned away and began heading into one of the other tunnels clearly expecting to be followed. The second sandbender fell into step behind Tenzin as he began walking. As the three of them moved through the compound, Tenzin heard what sounded like hurried footsteps in front of them on multiple occasions.

Aside from those sounds, there was no sign of anyone else however. They had passed by multiple tunnels leading off in other directions and through a few sizable rooms that looked like they had just been emptied. The conspicuous lack of other people was beginning to make his neck prickle when the man in front stopped next to an opening obscured by what looked like a beaded curtain.

There were no wooden or plastic beads like what you would see in Republic City however. Malachite, obsidian, agate, quartz, pieces of gold and silver and half a dozen other kinds of gems that he didn't recognize. The sandbender gestured towards the curtain “Tin Hinan waits within.”

Tenzin paused for a moment before parting the bejeweled strings and stepping into the room. Moussa was sitting cross legged on a cushion off to one side and past him was the matriarch. The woman looked to be even older than his mother and her hair was white with just a few strands of a faded black still remaining. Her skin was lined with age and there was a sizable red blotch on the side of her neck. Tin Hinan's eyes were almost as piercing as Yulduz's in spite of her age however.

She gestured at one of the cushions in front of her. “Please be seated son of Aang. We have much to discuss.” As Tenzin moved forward to sit down, the two sandbenders followed him in and seated themselves between him and the door.

The old woman's eyes flicked towards Moussa for a moment before returning to Tenzin. “You will forgive me for being blunt but this is a matter that should be dealt with as quickly as possible. The Avatar is truly dead? We have heard reports of her end, but I have grown cynical in my age, particularly to news from Ba Sing Se.”

Tenzin felt the lingering guilt at Korra's death beginning to rise but he pushed it aside with not a little effort. Staying focused was beginning to seem vitally important now. He could sense something was amiss, but he wasn't entirely sure what it was yet. “It's true, I saw her body with my own eyes. Korra died in Ba Sing Se.”

Tin Hinan exchanged a glance with Moussa before continuing to speak, her voice growing cold. “The airships that we destroyed for you – they accused you of being involved in the Avatar's death and now you admit to seeing her body. The Avatar is the fulcrum on which this world is balanced and there is no worse crime an individual can commit. You will tell us everything. Now.”

The two men behind him stood up and Tenzin could hear their daggers being drawn. Moussa didn't move but the way he just sat there was still menacing somehow. Tenzin berated himself mentally for walking into this situation so blindly. He took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking, it wouldn't do to sound panicked and unconvincing right now, even if it was the truth.

“Rebuilding the Air Nation is a dream that my father and I shared but I always believed it would only be accomplished by future generations. That is, until people in Republic City began gaining the ability to bend air two weeks after Harmonic Convergence. When I saw my brother Bumi airbending for the first time in his life I realized that I could actually live to see my nation reborn.”

“Korra, some of her friends, my brother, daughter and I set out to find airbenders in the Earth Kingdom. Eventually we came to Ba Sing Se where we learned that the Earth Queen was kidnapping airbenders in the city to be part of her army. We tried to free them, but the Dai Li ambushed us and we were forced to flee the city, but Korra had split off from the group beforehand.”

“I don't know what happened to her before her death, but I had snuck back into the city when it was announced on the radio. I didn't believe it until I broke into the morgue where her body was being kept and saw her lying there on a table.”

“It was... if we had stayed together then maybe she wouldn't have been killed... the only thing I could think of was that she deserved better than being buried in Ba Sing Se. I wanted to return her to her parents so I tried to take the body, but the Dai Li attacked and I had to leave her behind and run again. This time though, we were chased all the way to the desert where Moussa found us.”

“And the daughter of Toph? You didn't mention her as one of your companions on your mission. How did she come to be in your company?”

Tenzin didn't like the idea of talking about Zaheer but holding back would likely be fatal given the situation. “A group of people the White Lotus had imprisoned escaped so Lin came to Ba Sing Se to warn me about them. They tried to kidnap Korra when she was a child and we expected that they would come after her again.”

Tin Hinan looked at Moussa again before speaking in a flurry of words that Tenzin didn't recognize. He responded in kind and the two of them went back and forth for a few minutes before Moussa gestured to the men behind Tenzin and the two of them sheathed their daggers then joined the matriarch and Moussa in kowtowing to the airbender.

“Forgive us for this insult son of Aang but we had to be certain. Events in the Earth Kingdom have been... troubling and I fear things will come to a head soon. It is an ill time for uncertainty but we will discuss that tomorrow. I have a request for you and your companions however. I would like to honor the Avatar's memory but she is someone that we do not know. If you would be willing to share your tales of her, it would be appreciated.”

Tenzin inclined his head forward “Of course. I can't speak for Mako or Lin but I think they would agree as well though Lin may need...coaxing.”

She looked at Moussa “See to their needs. They must be cleaned and their clothes washed before you take them to Yulduz. I have grown old and my voice is not what was. It is time she take my place as our griot.”

Moussa bowed towards the matriarch “You do my family honor.” He rose to his feet before holding a hand out to Tenzin. “Come, there are still hours before the feast is ready.”

After a month of being pursued and harried across the Earth Kingdom, having the chance to properly clean himself felt amazing. It was the first time since Ba Sing Se that he was actually able to relax and let the tension in his shoulders disappear. He had expected it to take longer for their clothes to be cleaned but removing dirt was an easy task for earthbenders. 

Mako and Yulduz were waiting for him in another part of the commune. Both were seated on cushions like the ones in Tin Hinan's room, but these were thinner and faded from use. It didn't take long for Lin to arrive after Tenzin had sat down. Yulduz looked between the three of them “I never had the honor of meeting the Avatar so I don't know what she was like. We have heard tales and reports of what she has done, but only those who knew her can say what is true and what is not. Who shall go first?”

Yulduz had no papers or pens in front of her of any kind. She rarely spoke and then only to prompt for more information, mostly from Lin who was being somewhat taciturn. After Mako, the last to speak, finished she stood and bowed to them. “Thank you for your tales. I do not have long to prepare for tonight but I hope it will be satisfactory.”

After that, there was nothing to do but wait until the feast began later that evening. The chamber it was held in was easily the largest Tenzin had seen. Several rows of tables extended across most of the hall and there was a single smaller table at their head. 

Tenzin had been expecting perhaps fifty people from what he had seen so far, but at least three, possibly four hundred people had seated themselves in the room before he had arrived and more were still coming.

Tenzin found himself being guided towards Moussa. Lin and Mako had arrived there before him and were already seated on cushions. Mako was seated next to Yulduz at the far side of the table while Lin was seated in the center next to Tin Hinan and Tenzin found himself next to Moussa. There were also a few older men and women that he didn't recognize seated there as well.

He turned towards Moussa “How many people live here? I didn't think the Si Wong desert could support this many people.” The sandbender rocked his hand back and forth slightly “It doesn't produce enough food to support us, but the desert has... other resources that we sell to outsiders. Our people have grown in number since the end of the Hundred Year War because of it. This is the largest commune however and most of our people live here.”

As the sandbender spoke, the cooks and their attendants began arriving bearing with the food and drink that they had prepared. Tenzin hadn't been sure what to expect, but the sheer variety of what was being set onto the tables vastly exceeded his expectations. Half a dozen different kinds of soups, noodles, breads, fruits, cakes but the majority of it was various cuts of meat. Roast duck, elephant koi, lobster crab, se tu fish but the largest piece, a sizable flank of giant rhinoceros beetle still attached to the shell, was placed onto the high table.

Tenzin tried to conceal his distaste at the sight but Moussa wasn't fooled. “Don't worry son of Aang, it's not traditional air nomad fare but we took care to ensure there would be vegetarian food for you to eat.” Tenzin inclined his head gratefully “I have a couple of questions for you if you don't mind. When you were attacking those airships, I was watching your bending forms and they were rather similar to what my father taught me.”

Moussa seemed like he was about to smile for an instant. “I suppose I should not be surprised that an airbender would see that right away. It's believed that our ancestors learned how to control the sands by studying the air nomads techniques and applying them to their earthbending. What was your other question?”

Tenzin hesitated before peeking at Lin from the corner of his eye but she was distracted by her conversation with the matriarch. “It's something I've been thinking about since your daughter showed us to our rooms. She said you had told her that Mako and Lin had exchanged claims or were married as we call it. I thought it was a mistake or misunderstanding until I remembered what you said to us at the outpost.”

“You told us that Mako couldn't come with us unless Lin claimed him which she did, not knowing what it meant. But Mako never said anything of the kind in return so they never actually exchanged claims like you told your daughter they had.”

Moussa's face was slowly split by a small grin as Tenzin pointed out the discrepancy. “It seems my ruse has been found out but it served it's goal. Yulduz told me how the daughter of Toph reacted.”

“You did that on purpose? Why?”

Moussa shrugged “As I said when we met, I knew the other daughter of Toph when she lived here long ago. I can see the similarities between the two, but the one here tonight... I see the strength in her, but I can see the flaws and brittleness as well. A few moments of laughter is a small thing but it can make all the difference to the right person.”

Tenzin brought his hand up to his chin as he considered what the sandbender had said. Lin had always been somewhat prickly, but she had definitely become more ornery after the two of them had broken up. He opened his mouth to reply but stopped short when he noticed the crowd had fallen silent.

Yulduz had gotten up and moved along the tables to stand near the halfway point of the tables before reaching down to pick up an instrument that vaguely resembled violins Tenzin had seen in Republic City. One end resembled a large wooden bowl while the neck was just wide enough to accommodate its single string. One of her hands began drawing a corded bow across the string while her other hand's fingers would press down on the cords as needed to play notes.

The instrument was was low in volume but the roof must have been shaped in such a way for the sound to carry to the furthest reaches of the room. The music wasn't as smooth as the violins Tenzin had heard in the past but the slightly shrill tone had a character to it that he had never heard before.

Yulduz took a deep breath and began to sing as she continued playing her instrument. Tenzin wasn't an expert on the opera but her voice reminded him of sopranos he had heard in the past. He caught Korra's name at the beginning, but it was the same language that Moussa and Tin Hinan had been speaking earlier. While Tenzin couldn't understand the words themselves, he recognized this was some kind of dirge and he could feel the somber emotion of it washing over him.

Once the dirge had finished, Yulduz set her instrument aside and folded her hands in front of her as she began to speak in an orotund voice that needed no help in being heard by anyone present. “All that are born shall come to an end. But it is not death that defines who are were.”

“Korra learned of the path before her while still a child but she never hesitated to embrace her role in this world. She knew fear but refused to let it destroy her. She faced her enemies and overcame them no matter the cost to herself. Equalists, Tarrlok, Amon, Unalaq, she even faced the Great Enemy and was victorious. But her greatest triumph was not on the field of battle. The names of those she defeated will be forgotten but the rebirth of Air will endure.”

Yulduz turned to face the high table where Lin, Tenzin and Mako were sitting “And though the Avatar is mighty, they are never alone and those who accompany them are worthy of acclaim. Daughter of metal, though you were at odds with the Avatar in the beginning you later proved to be her ally during the Equalist Rebellion.”

She turned her gaze away from Lin to look at Tenzin. “Son of air, you taught the Avatar the element of your ancestors and provided the guidance that all need in their life.”

Lastly she looked to Mako “Son of fire, you were the Avatar's first companion in battle and without you she would have fallen to Amon. When she fought the Great Enemy you were there to protect her body and you were one whom she loved as well.”

“And though your deeds may go without notice or glory, those here will know you for the the people the three of you are.” Yulduz went down to one knee placing her right hand upon the ground and bowed her head towards them. At all the other tables, his included, all of the other sandbenders from the youngest child to the oldest among them rose from their seats before kneeling in identical stances.

Tenzin saw Mako and Lin exchange glances, the two of them looking as unsure of how to respond as he was. They were spared the need for a response however when Yulduz stood back up and turned towards the crowd “And though the Avatar does not return to the sky, we mourn not that she died and instead celebrate that she lived.”

The crowd all yelled something in that language of theirs before returning to their seats, a boisterous atmosphere returning to the room. Yulduz made her way back to the high table before sitting back down next to Mako once again.

Mako didn't want to say anything, but the unease from Yulduz's speech left him picking at his food absent-mindedly and glancing at her out of the corner of his eye from time to time. It didn't take long for her to notice his reaction and she sighed slightly “You don't approve of what I said? I thought it would make amends for the insults I gave earlier.”

“Insult? You mean thinking that me and Lin were married? That was weird but I wouldn't call that an insult.”

She started to shake her head but hesitated “That was a part of it, but it is more than that. Your companions are the daughter of Toph and the son of Aang. Those are names the whole world knows and reveres. The first is one of the greatest earthbenders in history and the inventor of metalbending and the other was the Avatar. It's to be expected that their children would achieve renown of their own.”

Yulduz took another drink from her cup before she continued “To meet those two is an honor in of itself but then I met you. Your name carries little weight and your parents even less. I thought you without merit and I thought it strange that the daughter of Toph would marry one such as you. But then you told me the role you played with the Avatar and I realized how mistaken I had been.”

“Is that why you exaggerated the things I've done? To make me look better? I mean, that stuff happened and all but you made it sound more dramatic than it really was. It wasn't just me in the spirit world – my brother was there, so were Tenzin and his brother and sister. As for me and Korra... we liked each other but I wouldn't say it was love.”

Yulduz gave him a small bemused smile “Those who gaze into the sun cannot see their shadow.” “What?” “It is a saying of ours. You played a part in keeping the Great Enemy from killing us all and you think that isn't worthy of praise? Humility is a virtue but it can also be a sin.”

Mako considered pursuing the matter but Yulduz seemed determined to ignore his objections. “You said something about returning to the sky. What does that mean?” Yulduz's smile vanished and a more serious look settled onto her features as she considered him in silence for a long moment “I will explain after the feast has ended. You wouldn't understand unless you could see and a guest of honor leaving now would be a grievous insult.”

Without any clocks in sight, Mako was unable to tell how much time had passed but it felt like at least an hour, perhaps two, until the last of the sandbenders had left. Yulduz stood up and smoothed out her dress before gesturing to him “If you'll follow me Mako.”

As she led him through the tunnels, Mako began to wonder how people found their way around. The tunnels had a certain uniformity that made them all blend together to his eyes. It wasn't until he started looking at the rock in closer detail that he saw different bands of color surrounding certain openings.

Yulduz stopped in front of the stairs that led to the surface and turned towards him. “Close your eyes Mako.” He lifted an eyebrow before obliging her request and felt Yulduz grab one hand to lead him up the stairs. “From what you told me, I gathered that you've spent your entire life living in Republic City. I've never seen it, but I know that it's a city of concrete and steel. It may be beautiful at night, but the lights of the city blind you.”

She briefly let go of his hand and he could hear the sound of rock shifting before reacquiring her grip and leading him forward once more. The ground he walked on changed from hard stone to sand that shifted beneath his feet as Yulduz led him onto the surface. “Open your eyes and look to the sky.”

Mako had looked at the stars at times when he had lived in Republic City, but those had always been a few tiny pinpricks of light that you could barely see. And now for the first time in his life, he was seeing the night sky without obstruction. What had been dim lights before were now majestic shining jewels of radiant light. And there weren't just a few stars either, the sky was full of thousands of gleaming stars. At that moment, Mako started to feel very small and insignificant.

Yulduz let him stare upwards before approaching to stand next to him. “When an Avatar dies, they are reincarnated to the next element. Roku was reborn as Aang and Aang was reborn as Korra. But we believe that everyone else is reincarnated as well. The spirit of Raava ties the Avatar to this world and their rebirth is immediate. When the rest of us die, we are returned to the sky to wait until the universe decides it is time for us to be reborn.”

She spread her hands out to gesture at the sky in a whole “All the stars you see are those who are waiting. It serves as a reminder of our fate and it encourages us to make the most of the time we have in this life.”

Mako glanced down as she put a hand on his elbow before turning his gaze back up to the skies above as a shiver ran through him.


	8. All warfare is based on deception

Tenzin woke the next morning to total darkness . The room had been sealed off for privacy the previous night and he had extinguished the lantern before going to sleep. The airbender grumbled to himself as he started to blindly fumble around the room.

It took him a few minutes to find the lantern and light it before he looked around trying to remember where the doorway had been. The walls were almost entirely covered with frescoes but there was a single unmarked segment visible. Tenzin moved over towards that area looking around intently, there had to be some way to let the sandbenders know he wanted out.

After a few seconds of searching he spotted a thin cord extending from a hole in the wall. Without any other options available to him, Tenzin pulled on it and thought he could hear a bell ringing somewhere. It took a minute before the rock blocking the door disappeared back into the ground and light from outside began to pour in.

A teenaged boy was waiting for him just outside the door. He bowed slightly as Tenzin exited the room. “Son of Aang, the matriarch has requested that you meet with her after you've eaten.” The breakfast was plain in comparison to what they had eaten the previous night but he found the simple fare no less appealing.

Tin Hinan was seated in the same room that they had met yesterday. The only difference was that Moussa and the guards from before were gone. She waited for Tenzin to seat himself on the cushion in front of her before beginning to speak.

“I am not sure if you recall, but I mentioned being troubled by events in the Earth Kingdom. We have no radios here and news travels slowly to Kel Ahaggar but enough has happened since the Avatar's death that even my people are uneasy about the outside world. It will be difficult for you to hear which is why we did not speak of it yesterday.”

She took a deep breath and gave him a sympathetic look before beginning. The Jasta - a force of airbenders, villages being attacked in the night, people being enslaved or butchered, refugees fleeing south, the queen's decrees. And if that wasn't horrible enough, Republic City had been taken over by the Equalists.

Tenzin felt a mixture of grief and rage pouring through him. The Air Nomads had all been killed except for his father. He had always felt an additional kinship with his father since both had once existed as the only airbender alive. But Air had returned to the world following Harmonic Convergence and Tenzin had seen his chance to rebuild the Air Nation.

But he had failed. All the people he had spoken to in the Earth Kingdom had rejected him. The only person who had joined them was a thief and a liar. They had even failed to rescue the airbenders that the queen had abducted. And now those airbenders had been twisted into something vile.

It was at that moment Tenzin felt himself sink lower then he ever had before. Only now did he understand how Aang must have felt when he learned that his people had been wiped out. Aang had failed to save his people and now Tenzin had failed at rebuilding them. He felt tears beginning to flow and began weeping openly as grief overtook him. Only a few seconds passed before he felt the matriarch's arms embrace him and she began singing softly in the sandbender's language.

Like before, the words themselves were without meaning to him but he could still sense their underlying emotions and intent on some unfathomable level beyond the mind's reach. As the lyrics sunk in, Tenzin felt his tears gradually cease flowing and he found himself growing strangely calm and focused.

Tin Hinan fell silent and returned to her cushion. “So son of Aang, what will you will do now?” He looked back at her evenly “The only thing left to do now is fight. The Jasta must be stopped.” Tenzin hesitated for a second before plunging ahead “Will your people help me? I cannot defeat them on my own. Mako and Lin might join me but they are far from enough.”

The matriarch stared back at him for a moment before slowly shaking her head. “Your goals may be noble son of Aang but I must refuse your request. My foremost concern is the well-being of my people and leaving the desert to fight a war that does not involve us is foolishness. But I believe I know someone who may be willing to help you.”

***

“Zaofu!? Are you out of your mind Tenzin?. I'm not going there and you know exactly why!” Lin was livid. It had been thirty years since she had arrested Su Yin and the scars are her face were still visible after all this time. Tenzin took a step backwards as she glowered at him. “I know I know. But where else can we go? Republic City has been overrun by the Equalists and Ba Sing Se is accusing us of killing Korra.”

Lin scowled at him a moment longer before she pinched at the bridge of her nose “Fine. But I'm not entering the city and you don't tell her I'm there.”

Tenzin contained his sigh of relief. He had expected persuading Lin to be a lot harder than that. The airbender looked around the room they were standing in “Do you know where Mako is? I haven't seen him since last night.”

A doorway quietly opened directly behind Tenzin where he couldn't see and Mako stepped out. For a second, Lin saw a brown haired figure about to follow him out but it disappeared back inside in an instant. Beifong faked a yawn to cover her smirk when Mako started as he saw the two of them standing there. “He's right there. So what's so important about going to Zaofu?”

Tenzin waited for Mako to walk over before summarizing the situation with the Jasta and Republic City for Mako. “Whether you choose to help me or not is up to you. General Iroh is probably trying to retake Republic City and you can join him if you want to. No matter what you decide, Zaofu is the best destination right now.”

It didn't take long for Mako to decide “The last thing Korra was trying to do was rebuild the Air Nation. We might have hit some roadblocks, but it's still possible so I'll come with you Tenzin. What about you Chief?”

She folded her arms and looked to the side “We don't know what's going on out there. Iroh might be trying to take back my city, but we can't know for sure. I'll decide after we get to Zaofu. And remember, do not tell her I'm there.”  
Moussa and a few other sandbenders were waiting for them on the surface near a pair of sand-sailers along with Naga. Tenzin and the others had changed into the spare outfits they needed to protect them from the sun before heading to the surface.

He turned towards them as Lin led them out of the caverns and onto the desert surface. It took a minute of checking their outfits before he was satisfied that they would be protected. “Tin Hinan has asked me to take you to the Misty Palms Oasis. From there you can arrange transportation to Zaofu.”

The sandbender reached under his shirt and pulled out a thin leather purse. “You have little money on you however. This will be enough to take you to the Metal Clan's home.” Tenzin started to say no, but something in the man's body language warned him not to refuse. He reached out to take it when he heard a shout coming from the stairs.

Another person wrapped up in the same desert outfit as everyone else on the surface had appeared and was hurrying towards them. Tenzin exchanged a glance with Lin but she merely shrugged at him. Moussa, however, looked exceedingly displeased. “What are you doing Yulduz? There's no reason for you to come with me today.”

If she hadn't been wearing goggles, they would have seen her eyes flicker towards the outsiders before looking back at her father. Instead of replying in the common language, she switched to the sandbender tongue so they wouldn't understand.

“It is the matriarch's command father. She is concerned for the airbender. His reaction to the news was as we expected at first, but she fears he may do something he'll regret. I don't know what I can accomplish, but I will not forsake my duty... and I wish to go regardless.”

Moussa looked at his daughter in silence before giving in and pulling Tenzin aside. “My daughter has asked to accompany you to Zaofu and I have agreed. I am entrusting you with that which I value most son of Aang. Guard my daughter for your fates are one until she returns to me.”

Aang had told Tenzin about what the Misty Palms Oasis had once been. A beautiful ice spring and wonder that attracted men and spirits alike. His last visit had seen the ice diminished and a seedy outpost risen.

Like his father, Tenzin found the oasis to be far from what he expected. The seedy outpost had been replaced by a small bustling town. It almost looked respectable but the number of rough looking characters walking the streets were signs that the place had yet to forget its roots.

They had yet to change out of the sandbender's clothes but Moussa had said they would be able to do so at a building up ahead. As they walked, Tenzin's eyes began to wander aimlessly as he studied their surroundings.

Near the center of town was a wooden message board and on it were three mostly identical notices. The only difference was the person whose photo was displayed. Tenzin, Lin and Mako's faces looked outwards with the words 'Wanted Alive' printed beneath them. “Lin.”

“I see it. We're being followed too. Naga must have given us away.” Tenzin turned his head to the side as he faked a cough. A small group was there, a few of them holding hammers or knives in their hands. Tenzin began preparing for an attack when Moussa shoved him aside as he strode towards their pursuers. He pulled his hood off as he closed the distance and stared at them. “You dare threaten my companions?”

The bandit's reaction took Tenzin competely by suprise. All but one of them turned to flee the second Moussa had shown his face and began yelling. The last fell to his knees as his pants grew darker and he was quick to start pleading as if for his life. “We didn't know it was you, we were just after the bounty. That was all.” Moussa pointed down the street “Run.”

He turned back towards Tenzin “Come, we are not far from where I leave you.” Tenzin exchanged a disbelieving glance with Lin. Those men hadn't been afraid of attacking him or Lin Beifong but they had been terrified of Moussa. He began to follow the sandbender with the uncomfortable realization that he truly did not know who this man really was.

***

Asami had just set her bag of electronics components down in front of one of her parts drawers when there was a knock on the doorway. Su Yin was checking in on her again. “Afternoon Asami, I wanted to see how you were getting along again.” She hesitated a moment before continuing “Zhu Li said you were having some problems with the Scherbius machines. Is there anything I can do to help?”

Asami tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear “What? Oh right, the resistors. She got some of the resistors mixed up in her schematics. A few pieces that should have been labeled parallel were marked as in series so the voltage and amperage values were wrong and some of the resistors burned up.”

She began sorting the resistors into small trays lying on the workbench as she continued speaking. “It's not difficult to fix but it took me a while to find a shop with the right resistors. Now I just have to open the printers up and replace the dead resistors, shouldn't take more then a couple of hours.”

After she finished sorting the resistors, Asami turned to face the matriarch. “There is something you can help with me though. You told me about what's been going on in the Earth Kingdom the last time you were here, the Jasta and all that. But while I was in the city today, I thought I'd listen in to see how people were reacting... and I didn't hear a thing about it. No gossip, no rumors, not even a whisper. Why is that?”

Su sighed before stepping inside and closing the door behind her. “Because they don't know.”

“What do you mean they don't know!? You told me Zaofu is on the brink of war and you've been preparing for it. It's why I'm building these boxes. The Jasta are rampaging across the Earth Kingdom, refugees are coming to Zaofu and your people don't know any of it? How? Why?”

“How much do you know about the Dai Li, Asami?”

Asami's anger at the matriarch was cut short by the sudden change of topic “The Dai Li? I learned about them in school when I was younger, but no more then the usual stuff. Ba Sing Se's secret police, Long Feng, Lake Laogai, rock fists, skulking on roofs that sort of thing.”

“That's what comes to mind when most people think of them, but the truth today is that they're much more then that. They've expanded a great deal under Hou'Ting but almost no one knows it. It's more of a network of spies then anything else these days.”

“But they don't listen to people talking on the street or in a bar, they're tapped into all of the radio towers in the Earth Kingdom. They listen to anything that gets broadcast and no one knows it. There's no encryption, no security because nobody else knows they need it.”

Asami stared at the boxes she had been fabricating for the last few weeks. “So that's why you have me building these. Of course, it makes perfect sense. My... The equalists. We tried to warn General Iroh that they had an ambush planned but they intercepted the transmission. If we had these boxes then they couldn't have read the message.”

She turned back to the matriarch “So that answers part of my question, what about the rest?” Su clasped her hands together still looking uncomfortable with the subject they were discussing “The mountain range down here in the south makes radio towers problematic to place and maintain.”

“There is one nearby, but it's not close enough to broadcast to the city directly. Instead everything is received there and the news is sent over a telegraph line that the Zaofu guard operates.”

Asami had occasionally encountered engineers and scientists more knowledgeable then her before but she had never been intimidated by them. But as the pieces began to click together, the scope of the game Su Yin was playing began to sink in. “That's why Kuvira and some of the other guards keep disappearing. You've been gathering allies this entire time and you've been keeping your whole city in the dark to avoid warning the Earth Queen.”

Asami looked down at the Scherbius machines “And that's why I've been building these. So you can discuss strategy with your allies without it being intercepted.”

Su gave a small sad smile at that “I don't like that I had to do any of this, but we're not the Fire Nation. We can't beat Ba Sing Se with conventional tactics or strategy.” Su turned to leave but stopped at the door “I know why you left Republic City Asami, but Zaofu may not be the haven you were hoping to find. If you choose to leave then I'll understand.”


	9. Suyin's Gambit

Mako had always believed that Republic City was the most modern and advanced city in the world. That belief flickered out and died when he saw the city of Zaofu in the distance. Lin had insisted they leave her behind before approaching the city and neither Tenzin or Yulduz knew how to drive so Mako had found himself behind the wheel.

The different sectors of the city rose out of the ground like giant flowers made out of brilliantly shining metal. They were still some distance away but he could see some kind of elevated road connecting the different parts to each other. The valley itself was a vibrant green and clearly a fertile area based on all the farms they were passing as they approached the nearest sector.

“Tell me Mako, do all outsider cities look like this? I have heard many stories but to see with my own eyes makes me realize that the tales fall short.” Yulduz looked calm and composed in the seat next to his, but he was beginning to learn how to tell what she was actually feeling and the city was unnerving her to some extent.

“Zaofu and Republic City are kinda similar, but other then those two, no they don't. Most cities in the world have existed for hundreds or thousands of years but Republic City and Zaofu are pretty new. If I remember right, Zaofu is only a few years older than me.”

For a moment Yulduz looked like she was going to say something before changing her mind and continued to look at the city. The nearest sector steadily grew larger as they drew closer until it loomed over them as Mako came to a stop at the entrance. A guard wearing metal armor holding a clipboard approached the driver side door. “Name and purpose of visit?”

“Um, I'm Mako. We're here to see Suyin Beifong.” He had heard Moussa mention a second daughter of Toph when they were in the desert but the idea that Lin had a sister, even if estranged, still came as a shock to him. The police chief had never mentioned her to Mako and he wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't talk about it to anyone.

Mako's shirt collar was beginning to feel tight and he felt the urge to fidget as the guard gazed at him without blinking. Eventually the man lifted the top sheet on his clipboard up as he read something for a minute. “Take that road over there to the right and take the first left. It'll lead you to the Beifong estate.”

The estate itself was significantly smaller than the other sectors but it was still larger than the Sato mansion in Republic City. The guard must have called ahead because there was a small party waiting for them. “Bolin? Asami? What are you guys are doing here?” “Dad?” “Jinora?”

An older woman with graying hair that could only be Su stayed back long enough for them to exchange greetings before moving forward. “Sorry to interrupt, but where's Lin?” Tenzin shuffled his feet as he tried not to look Su in the eyes “Lin? I'm not sure where she is, probably Republic City.”

Su smirked at the airbender “All these years and you're still as bad a liar as when we were kids Tenzin. I can tell she's not in the truck so where is she hiding?”

Tenzin sighed as he admitted defeat “We left her near the river a few miles away from the city. She didn't want to come here.” Su shook her head before gesturing to a younger woman nearby “Kuvira, take a few guards and go get Lin. She won't be happy about it but hopefully she won't get violent.”

After Kuvira left, Su turned her gaze to the other two people who had arrived with Tenzin. “You must be Mako and … a sandbender? In Zaofu?”

To everyone's surprise, particularly Yulduz's, Suyin switched to the sandbenders language as she addressed the young woman “It has been a long time since I have seen any of your people.” She bowed slightly at the waist and pressed fist to palm “I am Suyin, daughter of Toph.” Yulduz returned the gesture but her bow was somewhat more pronounced “I am Yulduz, daughter of Moussa.”

Suyin gave a small smile at that “You're Moussa's daughter? I knew him when I lived among your people. You must have born after I left, how is he?”

“Our family has done well. He rose to become a chief after I was born and I just became the griot of Kel Ahaggar.” “You're the griot? Then why are you here and now of all times? Tin Hinan must know what is happening outside the desert.”

“She is worried for the airbender, he did not take the news about the Jasta well. And I am here as a gislaz.”

Su put one hand on her chin as she considered Yulduz's words. They likely weren't wrong about Tenzin. The fact that a group of airbenders were wreaking havoc in the Earth Kingdom would be eating away at him even if he didn't show it.

Kuvira didn't look any worse for wear when she returned with Lin in tow, but her guards looked rather shaken and Lin was seething. “What's the meaning of this Su? I was minding my own business and you sent some thugs after me?”

Suyin shrugged her sister's anger off “It was necessary. You were choosing to hide rather then talk to me and this isn't the time for family squabbles. You know some of what's going on, but not all of it. Tenzin, Lin, Mako, Asami, Yulduz and Bolin – if you'll come with me then I'll explain everything.”

She turned and headed into the mansion and down a flight of stairs to a locked wooden door in the basement. Su inserted a metal key and turned it to one side before entering. The room lacked any kind of the décor and the only things of note was a large table with an oversized map of the Earth Kingdom with dozens of markers sitting on it.

Suyin had already told Asami everything, but everyone else besides Kuvira and the city guard were in the dark about some of what was going on. She gestured at some of the markers “These black flags are the places that the Jasta have attacked. Mostly it's been places in the north but they've been slowly moving south. The official word is that they're trying to collect taxes, but all of the villages have been burned down and the inhabitants enslaved or killed.”

“Once the news began to spread, I knew it was only a matter of time before she came after the southern provinces. Since then I've had Kuvira and some of the other guards visiting other towns and cities in search of allies.”

She pointed at the green flags on the map. “Omashu, Gaoling, Kyoshi Island and Chin Village have all allied with us. There's numerous smaller towns and villages that will follow suit but they don't have any real military power.”

Lin gave a sarcastic laugh “You might have gotten some people behind you but Ba Sing Se has more people than the entire southern Earth Kingdom put together. The Earth Queen has more money, more soldiers and more airships at her disposal. You'd get crushed if you tried to attack Ba Sing Se.”

Everyone else looked at the younger Beifong sister as the two squared off across the table “Don't you think I know that? I'm not an idiot Lin, I know that I can't take Ba Sing Se and we're not going to try. This isn't about who rules the Earth Kingdom.”

She pointed towards the north “You know what Hou'Ting is doing. People are being enslaved or murdered in their beds. Farms, villages, entire towns are being burnt to the ground. And for what? Taxes? Silver? Gold? Platinum?”

“We're not trying to take over the Earth Kingdom. We're going to secede and offer safety from the Jasta and the Earth Queen. Once Hou'Ting hears the news, she'll gather her armies and hit us as hard as she can. The question is where and when.”

The matriarch traced her finger along a mountain range separating Omashu and Zaofu from Ba Sing Se “Fortunately I have a good idea of where. Omashu and Zaofu are the closest cities to Ba Sing Se. Her armies can move through these mountains, but there's enough passes that they can go north or south at their choosing.”

“Why not try to ambush them in the passes then? We could shadow their army and attack from the mountains. It'd give us the height advantage and we'd disrupt them before they ever approached either city.”

Su shook her head slightly “It's not a bad idea Kuvira but they would have the option of ignoring us and heading straight for either city if we did that. Our best chance is to find out where they plan to attack and concentrate all our forces on defending that city.”

Mako wasn't exactly a tactician but Su's oversight seemed obvious to him “Why do they have to go through these mountains here? Their airships could just fly over the desert and head straight south. You'd get drawn out and would have to engage them on an open field.”

“You're not wrong Mako, but they can only do that if the sandbenders let them.” Su gave a meaningful glance at Yulduz. Mako exchanged a confused glance with Tenzin “But Tenzin asked them to help us and they said no.”

“What exactly did you ask them Tenzin?” “I asked them to help me fight the Jasta.”

“That was your mistake, the sandbenders are somewhat more literal then other cultures. Asking them to fight the Jasta... They would see it as you asking them to leave the desert and that's something they only do in very rare circumstances.”

As Suyin finished speaking, everyone's gaze found their way to the sandbender standing in the room with them. Yulduz reddened slightly at the attention before Su came to her rescue. “Yulduz being here is proof that they're willing to help, but on their own terms. Right now she's what they call a gislaz. It's a little hard to translate but basically it means that's she's a sign of faith from Tin Hinan.”

“The only thing is that we'll have to send someone to them in return.” She looked around at the people in the room before her gaze fell on Bolin. He looked to his left then to his right “Wait wait wait wait. You want me to go to the desert? I'm not made for desert’s, I'll burn and my skin will start peeling like an onion.”

The matriarch almost looked amused at that “I'm not going to force you to do anything. You can stay in Zaofu, keep flirting with my daughter and trying to teach yourself metalbending if you want. Or you could live with the sandbenders for a few weeks, secure the desert and see if you have better luck with bending sand. It's up to you.”

Lin snorted in disgust “Well isn't that just convenient for you. Why did you even bring me here?” She waved her hand at the map “You've gotten everything all lined up so nicely. All hail my sister, Queen of the South.” Lin turned and stormed after of the room and after a moment Su followed her down the hallway. “Lin! Wait!”

The older sister turned her head to glare at Suyin over her shoulder “To hell with all of this. I'm going back to Republic City.”

“You'll never make it Lin. There's a wanted poster with your name on it in every village and town in the Earth Kingdom. Everyone thinks the three of you killed Avatar Korra. And Republic City belongs to the Equalists now. The United Republic forces tried to retake it, but they got smashed and the remnants retreated back towards the Fire Nation the last we heard. That was two weeks ago and nobody knows what's going on over there now.”

Lin stopped and turned back towards her sister “What do you mean nobody know what's going on in the Fire Nation?” “There was a report three days ago saying that something, I don't know what, had happened to Lord Zuko and Firelord Izumi but then the line went dead and it hasn't come back up.”

Su sighed and turned to look out a nearby window “I know things have always been rocky between us Lin, but I really could use your help with all of this. I might sound like I have everything under control, but I'm terrified. I'm about to go to war with Ba Sing Se and I don't know if we can win but I can't stand by anymore. Someone has to do something and right now that happens to be me. If you want to leave then I'll have a car ready for you tomorrow morning.”

Lin intercepted her sister before breakfast the next morning “I'm staying, but I'm not doing this for you.” “Then who are you doing it for?” Lin almost looked like she was about to reply when Tenzin stepped out of a nearby bathroom. She scowled at him before storming off.

***

Mako had told him how hot the desert was but some things had to be experienced for a person to truly understand and the Si Wong desert was brutal. Bolin wiped at his forehead as he pleaded with Moussa “I know I'm still new to bending sand but I'm still an earthbender. I can help you if you'll let me come along.”

The tall sandbender shook his head “I do not doubt your valor son of San but trust must be earned and you are still an outsider to our people. You will stay here until we return with information.” Moussa made his way onto the sand glider as they left Bolin to sit next to the small oasis. “Well at least I still have you Pabu.” The fire ferret chittered at him in response before digging a hole in the sand and curling up in it.

It had been a week since he had left Zaofu for the desert. Opal hadn't been happy to see him leave but both had understood the importance of it. Asami had given him one of the Scherbius machines and taught him how to use it before his departure. He had been able to spend some time catching up with Mako but not as much as he would have liked. And now here he was, sitting in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but push small chunks of sand around.

***

Moussa felt the gaze of his second on him as the sand sailer raced over the dunes “You dislike leaving the son of San behind?” The man nodded “He would be of use on this raid. He may not be a sandbender but he is not without talent.” The sandbender chief shook his head slowly “That may be so, but he is too soft for what needs to be done this night. It is better if he doesn't see this.”

Their destination was a small hut located on the northwestern edge of the desert. There were only a few soldiers there, but it was close enough to a radio tower for information to pass through it. The moon was beginning to descend towards the horizon before they approached the small building.

They didn't bother to check the front door and instead headed for the one wall with a window in it. It was up high enough that even Moussa couldn't reach it on his own. Moussa cupped his hands to form a stirrup to boost one of the other sandbenders up to the window. The man reached out to lightly tap on the glass pane once. After a few seconds, the glass began to tremble before it dissolved into a pile of sand and the man was able to crawl inside.

A minute later and the sandbender left through the front door, gagged and bound hostage tossed over his shoulders. They were quick to return to the sand sailer and disappear back into the desert as quietly as they had come.

After a few miles, they stopped and dumped their prisoner onto the sand. Moussa pulled the man's gag out and crouched in front of him. “Do you know who we are?” The Earth Kingdom soldier spat on the ground “You're a bunch of thieving sandbenders.” Moussa gestured at the area all around them “And where are we?”

“The... desert.” Moussa nodded slowly “That is right. We are in the desert,” He made a fist and the soldier cried out in fear as the sand beneath him gave way and he sank to his waist. “We require information. Information that an Earth Kingdom officer like you can provide. What is the Earth Queen's army planning?”

“Bite me. I'm not telling you anything.”

Moussa pulled out his dagger and used it to slice the man's shirt off. “Have you spent much time in the desert? You have no food, you have no water and the sun will rise in a few hours. Your skin will burn and later on it will crack and peel. As you grow faint and weak of hunger and thirst, the scavengers will begin to circle. And they may not wait for you to die first if they are feeling bold.”

He held the dagger up in front of the terrified man's eyes “Or you can tell us what we want to know and receive a quick death. The choice is yours.” Moussa waited for a minute before rising to his feet and turning to leave.

“Omashu! They're planning to attack Omashu.”

After they were back on the sand sailer, Moussa waved to the pilot “Take us back to the oasis. The son of San has a message to send.”


	10. No plan survives first contact

Suyin and Lin were both standing in the strategy room as they considered the news they had received. . Bolin's message had arrived a few hours before and lay discarded to one side of the Earth Kingdom map.

Lin began tracing out an imaginary line on the map “The supply line will probably cross the East Lake before heading south. If we send out a small group of raiders then they could disrupt it after the invasion begins. And a supply line this long will have plenty of areas you could attack.”

Su shook her head after thinking about it for a moment “That sounds like one of Kuvira's arguments. She's been saying that we should resort to hit and run tactics instead of meeting them straight on. The problem with hitting their supply lines is that they would just start pillaging as they travel south. I don't want people to suffer anymore then they already have.”

“And if we lose then things -” Lin's response was cut off as the door burst open and Kuvira barged inside. “Su, there's been a message from Omashu. Hou'Ting's forces arrived early this morning and surrounded the city.”

Su was struck silent by the news but Lin was quick to start asking questions “What? Already? Did you send out the message that the south was seceding yet? How did they get an army all the way to Omashu without us knowing?”

Suyin stared at the map, her dismay evident in her eyes “I announced it last night and I don't see how she could have known what I was planning. Maybe she was always going to attack us but it doesn't matter right now. Kuvira, contact as many people as you can, Scherbius machines or not, we'll need as many soldiers as possible. We march in two days.”

***

Omashu wasn't all that far from Zaofu in the grand scheme of things but it had still taken a day and a half for all their forces to arrive at Omashu. Zaofu's police force, the Kyoshi warriors and a smattering of earthbenders and regular infantry from all over the south. All in all, Suyin had perhaps four thousand under her command.

They had taken up position on one of the mountains that overlooked the city. The sun had almost completely dipped beneath the horizon and she could see campfires and torches being lit in the distance. As darkness settled, the flames combined to form a giant ring of light that surrounded the city entirely.

Tenzin approached to stand next to her. “How many soldiers do you think they have done there?” Su sighed as she did a rough count “Ten, maybe fifteen thousand. And this is just one army, there's bound to be more in reserve somewhere... have I made a horrible mistake Tenzin? I thought I would be able to protect everyone from the Earth Queen but now it feels like I just made it worse.”

He shook his head “Mistakes have been made but it wasn't yours. You're trying to do what's right, that's what matters today. Yes, you're outnumbered but that doesn't mean you can't win. You just have to think creatively.” Suyin laughed at that before growing serious as she looked at the view in front of them once more. “Come with me, we need to find Lin and Kuvira. We're not waiting for morning, we attack tonight.”

Lin, Suyin and Tenzin led around a hundred metal and earthbenders higher up their mountain while a second group of earthbenders had climbed up a mountain to the east. Kuvira waited down below in the valley between the two mountains with the bulk of their forces. After an hour, Suyin ignited a flare and handed it to Tenzin. “Anytime you're ready.”

He took a deep breath before propelling the flare as high into the air as he could with his bending. As the signal arced through the sky, the benders around him turned their attention to the mountain. There was a moment of silence before he could hear the rocks beginning to crack and fracture. If it had been daytime then he would have been able to see the fissures beginning to open as the earthbenders split a massive portion of the mountainside from it's roots.

There was another moment of silence before Suyin and the others started the rocks on their descent. They moved slowly at first but swiftly gained momentum as the avalanche swept down the mountainside crushing everything in its path before it tore through the enemy encampments below.

In his mind’s eye, Tenzin could see the rest of it. The group on the second mountain would have unleashed an avalanche of their own and then Kuvira would attack the forces trapped between the two rockslides. The Earth Kingdom had more soldiers on the field, but they had been forced to encircle the city for their siege to work. Defeating the entire army was impossible but every enemy soldier that couldn't fight them was one less they had to deal with. All Kuvira had to do was defeat a smaller chunk of their army and use that gap to evacuate the city before retreating.

Tenzin was looking upwards as his gaze swept the skies. That flare had been bright enough for everyone in the area to have seen it, the enemy included. If the Jasta were here then it was possible if not likely that they would investigate or attack. For a split second, he saw something blocking the stars overhead but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

Less than a minute later a loud scream pierced through the darkness. Tenzin turned towards and began running towards where the sound had come from, staff in hand. Suyin gestured at the benders nearby. “Go join Kuvira, we'll check this out.” The screams continued as they searched for it's source but each was quieter than the one before it.

As the screams stopped, Tenzin and Suyin found themselves standing on the edge of a clearing perhaps a hundred feet from where the avalanche had been started. A lone figure stood shadowed in the moonlight in the middle of the glade with something bulky lying at her feet. Lin arrived a few seconds after the two of them, but she had a flashlight in her hand. She flicked it on and aimed the beam towards whoever it was standing there.

A gray haired woman with black leather armor spattered with red and a dagger in each hand was standing there. Lying motionless at her feet and stained crimson was one of the earthbenders from their group. Tenzin felt goosebumps rising at his skin at how agonizing the man's last moments must have been.

All three of them had read enough reports on the Jasta's attack to know just who it was standing there. The one thing they all had in common was the brutality of their leader Karman. If the stories could be believed then this man had actually gotten off lightly compared to her past victims.

Karman flicked one of the daggers at the grass before pointing it at Tenzin. She took a step forward before airbending both daggers at him. Before he could react, Lin jumped in front of him as threw her arms out to stop them short. The realization that the daggers were made out of platinum came too late for any of them to react in time as the daggers kept coming. Lin cried out in pain as the daggers dipped lower and sliced deeply along the inside of both knees just above where her greaves ended. “Lin!” Suyin darted forward to catch her sister in her arms before Lin's head hit the ground as her legs gave away beneath her.

Tenzin felt something inside him snap at the sight of Lin's blood. Everything that had happened – Korra's death, losing Republic City to the Equalists, the Jasta's atrocities, the desecration of everything his people had stood for and now this. This… thing in front of him couldn't be allowed to exist any longer. He pulled his cape off and threw it to Suyin “Use this to bandage her wounds and get to the healers.”

While he spoke, the daggers that Karman had used were arcing through the air back towards her. Tenzin threw a blast of air to send them spinning away into the night. Karman watched them disappear kicking an air-glider up into her hand and flying off towards the city. Tenzin scowled at the sight as he took off after her “You are not getting away.” Karman spun towards him as she kicked a crescent of air that he was barely able to dodge.

As they danced through the sky, their fight quickly turned into a game of trying to break the other's grip on their airglider. Despite Tenzin's efforts to block her path, all the dives and climbing, the banks and loops only drew them to the skies over Omashu before he was finally able to land a blow. As Karman fell from the sky, she twisted and thrashed until her feet pointed downward and she was able to use airbending to cushion her fall. The impact was still strong enough to shatter the tiles of the roof she landed upon however.

Karman reached behind her back and grabbed a small metal box that had been clipped onto her belt. As Tenzin joined her on the roof, she hit a small button on the front before casting it aside. Tenzin looked upwards as he saw a light fly into the sky and explode into a hundred balls of red light. Karman resumed the fight before they had begun to fade as she started hurling air blasts and roof tiles at him.

Tenzin had struggled to land hits when they had been flying but now Karman was only just barely evading his attacks and almost incapable of fighting back as he pressed her. The only advantage she had was being able to move faster and Karman was taking full advantage. Tenzin felt his frustration growing as she leapt from one building to the next, constantly retreating.

Finally however he was able to land a solid hit to her chin snapping one of the leather straps that held her mask in place. Karman stopped short to touch the corner of her mouth and found blood there. She grabbed the mask in her hand and yanked it loose before tossing it aside. Tenzin started to attack again, but she remained still and actually had the audacity to smirk at him.

It wasn't until he heard a nearby explosion that he realized she had been doing. A fleet of airships had appeared in the sky above Omashu and he could see light spilling out of doors in the bottom of the gondolas. As the airships circled, the explosions continued as they unloaded their payload onto the city. Tenzin stared in horror as the explosions began marching towards the roof he was standing on. He turned towards where Karman was but she had disappeared while he was distracted.

***

Zaheer shut the radio off as the report began to repeat itself. Omashu had been annihilated by the Earth Queen's airships. Suyin Beifong had managed to evacuate some of it's citizens but it was believed that two in three people had died in the bombings. The south's forces had retreated with the survivors and it was believed that the Earth Kingdom's forces would move on Zaofu within the next two weeks.

The news hadn't set well with any of them but Ming Hua was the loudest at voicing her anger “If we had gone for the Earth Queen instead of the Fire Lord then this never would have happened Zaheer. I still don't understand why we left Zuko and the others alive in the North Pole.”

He took a drink from his tea before setting it back onto the saucer “You're right Ming Hua. I let my fixation with the Avatar blind me and now other people have paid the price for my errors in judgment. We can't change what's already been done but we can make the one responsible pay the price for her crimes.”

It didn't take long for Ghazan to find one of the Dai Li. Since Korra's death, they had spread throughout all of Ba Sing Se to watch everything and everyone. This particular agent was perched on a roof overlooking one of the markets in the Lower Ring looking for anything suspicious. He jumped to his feet, hands held level with his chest, when Ghazan landed on the roof next to him. “There's no need for that. I'm not here to fight, I actually have something Her Majesty would be interested in.”

The agent moved warily as he put more distance between them. “And what would that be?” “It's not really a what, more like a who. An airbender and member of the Order of the White Lotus. I'm sure you can figure out who that refers to.”

“If that's true, then why are you talking to me instead of going straight to the palace?”

Ghazan folded his arms before responding “I don't need to explain the value of discretion to a member of the Dai Li. This man has powerful friends and I'd rather not be known as the person who sold him to the Earth Queen.” The agent lowered his hands before folding them into his sleeves “Of course. Guide me to the prisoner and I'll lead you to Her Majesty.”

True to his word, the agent led them all the way into a garage attached to the Royal Palace grounds. Ghazan opened up the back of the truck and dragged Zaheer, bag over his head and loosely tied rope around his wrists, out. As the five of them walked through the halls, P'Li and Ming Hua studied the palace's layout for when time came to escape.

The Earth Queen herself was sitting on her throne atop the raised dais as they were brought in for the impromptu audience. Aside from a few Dai Li guards, it was just her and them. She gestured as magnanimously, however little that actually was, as she was capable of. “Never let it be said that those who serve the Earth Queen are not rewarded. Take Tenzin's hood off, I want to look him in the eyes before sending him to the dungeon.”

Hou'Ting shot to her feet and quivered with anger at seeing Zaheer's face. “What is the meaning of this? Arrest them!” The Dai Li started to attack, but were overpowered in a matter of seconds by a brutal flurry from P'Li and Zaheer. Zaheer gestured to Ghazan. “P'Li and Ming Hua have claimed their tyrants so now it's your turn.”

Ghazan wrenched some of the rocks free from one of the Dai Li's hands and began to flatten it out into a shuriken that glowed red and yellow. Hou'Ting drew herself up to her full height and glared at Ghazan as he approached her with vengeance in his eyes. “For Omashu.”

***

As the Jasta's airship approached Ba Sing Se, all of them could see the flickering glow of the blazes in the city. Karman stared at the flames as they passed over the Inner Wall. She strode the side of the airship and slid the doorway open “Go. Find out what has happened and kill any rioters you see.”

The other airbenders on the ship extended the wings on their gliders before disappearing out the door and down into the city. Karman herself remained aboard as she guided the ship to the steps of the Royal Palace.

There was no sign of the Dai Li or the royal guard as she made her way into the palace. The grounds have evidently been looted however. Broken doors, missing paintings, and other acts of vandalism were evident everywhere she looked. From time to time, other people would appear but fled the moment they saw the black leather she was wearing.

Karman paused before the throne room doors before throwing them open and stepping inside. The room itself was empty except for a figure lying on the dais. Her heart skipped a beat as she rushed onto the dais and turned the figure over. Queen Hou'Ting stared back at her, but her eyes were blank. Karman lightly pushed at the Queen's cheek but the flesh was cold to the touch. Tears began welling up in the corners of her eyes as she shoved at Hou'Ting's shoulder “Your Majesty, wake up... I'm here.... Please get up.”

She pulled the body against her as she began weeping openly. The only response was silence and eventually Karman dropped the body to the dais feeling empty and lost. As one arm hit the dais, a piece of paper was knocked free from Hou'Tings hand and fluttered onto the dais. Karman reached down to pick it up before turning the paper over.

The message was poorly written but still legible enough for her to read it. Her irises widened and she felt her grief disappearing and an overwhelming rage taking its place. Karman threw her head back and as she shrieked, a stream of flame erupted out of her mouth and the stone pillars and floor in the room began shaking.

She rose unsteadily to her feet and began staggering back through the halls and outside where her airship waited. A pair of looters had snuck onboard while she was inside but neither of them could fly, much to their detriment, after she tossed them out the door. The airship's nose slowly turned in the air before heading to the southwest. As she set the autopilot the queen's last command repeated itself over and over in her mind.

Traitors must be punished.


	11. Life never truly ends

Suyin felt a glum helplessness settle over her as she watched her sister through the window. They had brought Lin to the hospital immediately after returning to Zaofu but she had taken poorly to being bedridden for the last week and was yelling at the healers. Again. “How is she doing?” Suyin glanced to her right as Tenzin joined her at the window.

“Cranky and miserable but she's always been like that. The healers... they're doing what they can but they told me it's too early to know how well she'll heal. They don't have to amputate but they're saying there's a chance she'll never walk again.”

Tenzin put a hand on Su's shoulder as her hands balled up into fists before unclenching, red fingernail marks on her palms. “I have a favor to ask Tenzin. Zaofu has good healers but I'd like to send Lin to the South Pole. Can you ask Katara if she'll take her as a patient?” Tenzin glanced back through the window as Lin angrily grabbed a bedpan from the healer before her bed was blocked off by the curtain. “I know she will but I'll ask her for you if that's what you want. How are you holding up?”

“I want to be at Lin's side but she doesn't want me to see her like this. As for everyone else, I'm just trying to appear strong for their sakes. The army is shaken up after what happened at Omashu. A lot of them had friends or family in the city.”

She turned away from the window and started heading back towards the sector's rail station. Tenzin cast a last look at the curtain surrounding Lin before following her. “Have you figured out how that army caught us by surprise?”

“It was the Jasta's work from what I've been told. Apparently they disabled the radio towers that connected us to the northern Earth Kingdom. My entire strategy relied on being able to communicate over the radio network and without it we were blind. Right now we're repairing the towers and setting up guard posts to try and keep it from happening again.”

After they got on board, the monorail lurched slowly and began to gain speed as it took them back to the Beifong estate. As soon as they arrived, a messenger rushed up immediately “Mrs Beifong! They just fixed one of the radio towers and…. .” Suyin put a hand on the man's shoulder “Slow down. What's happened?”

“The Earth Queen. She's dead.”

***

Karman had landed her airship a short distance away before entering the city with staff in hand. It didn't take long for people to recognize the outfit she was wearing and start disappearing. The sound of doors being locked and shutters closed preceded her as she walked through the streets. A small number of Gaoling's guards fanned out behind her as she stopped in front of a walled estate.

She looked up at the family crest displayed above the estate's gate, the flying boar of the Beifong family. Karman scowled at it for a brief moment before her eyes began to glow. Flames burst out from her right hand as she burned the heraldry to ash.

And then the destruction began.

***

Suyin should have felt angry or shocked as she listened to the news, but there was only numbness. Omashu had been bombed into oblivion only a week before and now Gaoling had been utterly annihilated. The reports claimed that not a single building had been left intact, everything had been set on fire or torn apart.

And the Avatar had done it. Everyone knew she was dead, but a gray haired woman in black leather bending all four elements had been responsible. Tenzin cast a blank stare at the floor as he sat across the table from her “I saw Korra's body in Ba Sing Se. It was cold and stiff when I tried to take it from the morgue. It's impossible.”

“It may be impossible Tenzin, but the Avatar's the only one who can bend all four elements. And the description from Gaoling... it sounds exactly like the woman you fought at Omashu. The question isn't who, the question is why. Why would Korra do all of this?”

Tenzin lifted his eyes from the floor to look at Suyin “Korra would never do any of this but I don't think we're dealing with Korra anymore. I saw her face while we were fighting and it didn't look anything like her. And the last place I saw her was in the Dai Li's base... that must have been happened, she didn't die in an alley... they must have turned her to their side.”

“What are you saying Tenzin? That the Dai Li brainwashed her? That they altered her appearance? Conspiracy theories involving the Dai Li have always existed, but the idea of them enslaving the Avatar is crazier than any I've ever heard. They would never do something like that on their own so if you're right than all of this was really the Earth Queen's fault and I can't see why even someone as horrible as her would do something like this.”

Tenzin started to respond before a second man's voice cut her off “Perhaps I can answer that since he never will.” Suyin and Tenzin both started at the unexpected interruption and turned to look at the door. Of all the possible people who could have walked through that doorway, Tenzin could never have imagined it would be this person.

“Zaheer! What do you think you're doing here!” Tenzin reacted without thought as he sank into a defensive airbending stance. Zaheer merely raised his hands into the air to show the ropes binding his wrists to them. “Peace Master Tenzin, I'm not here to fight you.”

He made his way over to a chair before seating himself. Kuvira followed him into the room and positioned herself a few feet behind the chair he had chosen. Tenzin's face was livid, but Suyin appeared curious. “Who are you?”

“He's a traitor who broke out of prison. And he's probably the one who killed President Raiko and the Earth Queen.”

Zaheer smiled tolerantly at that “I'll admit you're not entirely wrong there. I did break out of prison, but I'm no traitor and blaming me for Raiko and the Earth Queen is just you looking for a scapegoat.”

“You expect me to believe anything you say after you tried to kidnap Korra?” Tenzin turned back towards the matriarch “You should have Kuvira throw this man in prison. We're all in danger while he's here.”

Suyin looked between the two airbenders for a moment as she considered the matter. “Kuvira, go get Aiwei and bring him here. I'll see what Zaheer has to say and we'll find out why he's here.” It was a tense few minutes as they waited for Kuvira to return. Tenzin looked like he wanted nothing more than to haul Zaheer off and clap him in chains. Zaheer, on the other hand, looked unaffected by Tenzin's anger. If anything, he seemed amused by it.

Kuvira eventually returned with Aiwei in tow. Tenzin looked at him curiously as he joined them in the room. He had lost most of the hair on his head but he still retained a well trimmed beard. There were golden chains running from one ear to his nose and he wore a pair of narrow glasses. He bowed slightly to Suyin “You summoned me Suyin?” She gave him a small smile before waving at Zaheer and Tenzin “Would you introduce yourself and explain your ability?”

Aiwei turned towards the two airbenders “My name is Aiwei. I am one of Su's advisors and I am a truth seer. When people lie, their heart rate and breathing increase and I have the ability to sense those changes.” Suyin looked at Tenzin “So there you go. If Zaheer tries to lie to us then Aiwei will catch him.” She returned her attention to Zaheer “Now then, why are you here?”

“You were asking why the Earth Queen would commit the atrocities that she has. I can explain, but first I have to tell you who I am. My name is Zaheer and I used to be a member of the White Lotus, at least until I tried to kidnap Korra after they found out she was the Avatar.”

Suyin glanced at Aiwei questioningly but he simply nodded to her “And why would you do that? Aang charged the White Lotus with training the next Avatar.”

“Because the White Lotus lost it's way after Aang and his friends became the Grandmasters. The White Lotus was founded as a way to share knowledge and transcend the barriers between nations. But under Aang and Zuko, the White Lotus began taking over the world. Aang was the Avatar, Zuko was the Fire Lord, Sokka and Katara were leaders of the Water Tribes in all but name. The only nation not under their sway was the Earth Kingdom, but that wasn't for lack of trying.”

Zaheer stopped talking to look at Tenzin as if to invite him to speak but Aang's son merely glared back at him, too livid to speak. “After Kuei's death, the throne passed to Hou'Ting but she was too young to rule. And even as a child, her cruelty was showing itself and people began to believe she would be a terrible monarch.”

“So a faction of nobles and wealthy citizens from the Earth Kingdom approached the White Lotus and asked Toph if she would take the throne but she refused. I don't know how Hou'Ting found out, but it seems she never forgot and has begun taking her revenge after all these years.” Su began tapping one fingernail on the arm of her chair as she processed everything that Zaheer had just revealed “Aiwei?”

“He speaks the truth Suyin.” She turned to look at Tenzin “Did you and Lin know about this?” Tenzin tried to meet her gaze before lowering his eyes and looking off to the side “Lin never knew. After Toph said no, the White Lotus dropped the matter and we thought it would be forgotten. But after everything that's happened, can you really say that we were wrong to not want Hou'Ting on the throne?”

“So why did you try to kidnap Korra and why are you here now Zaheer?”

“Avatar Aang left orders for the White Lotus to find and train the next Avatar before he died. My friends and I believed that Korra would be nothing more than a pawn so we tried to take her away from their influence. But we failed and were locked up in prisons designed by the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War. As for why we're here, it's because we want to help. I don't know what happened to Avatar Korra, but everything I've heard tells me that the Earth Queen is using her. And now the world faces what might the greatest possible threat in history. The Avatar is the single most powerful force in the world and she's gone mad. Her rampages may have begun in the Earth Kingdom but where will they end? Zaofu? Republic City? Or will she attack the other nations? For all we know, she's going to try and destroy everything unless she's stopped.”

“You may hate me and see me as a traitor Tenzin and I'll admit you have valid reasons for that. But the fact is that Korra will come for Zaofu and when that day arrives, you'll need as many people on your side as possible. You need us.” Zaheer rose from his chair as gracefully as he could with hands tied in front of him. “My friends are waiting in the valley right now. If you accept our help then I can send for them, if not then we'll leave and you won't see us again.” He bowed slightly and made his way to the door, Kuvira following him out.

Suyin watched him leave, her face contemplative. “Thank you Aiwei, that'll be for now.” After Aiwei had left, Su sank back into her chair and looked at the ceiling. “Do you think we can trust him Tenzin? Aiwei would have said if he was lying but all of that is a lot to take in, especially right now.”

He shook his head “No I don't, they betrayed us once and they could do it again. But if I'm being honest then he's not wrong. If Korra attacks the city then she could kill everyone here. They betrayed the White Lotus, but Ghazan, Ming Hua and P'li are incredibly powerful benders. If we have to fight Korra then having them on our side improves our chances at the very least.”

Suyin wearily pushed herself back up to her feet. “I'll send scouts to the east to watch for her approach. If she comes this way then I don't want to be caught off guard again. In the meantime, we should begin evacuating the city.”

***

Mako stared out into the valley as watched the citizens of Zaofu and the refugees from the northern Earth Kingdom streaming away to the west. Suyin's decision made sense but he couldn't but feel that they were just postponing the inevitable. If Korra couldn't be stopped then there might not be anywhere to hide. He heard quiet footsteps approaching him from behind and Yulduz slid one arm under his as she wrapped her fingers around his bicep “You fear what is to come Mako.”

“Of course I'm afraid. I don't want to fight Korra, she's my friend. But if she attacks then we won't have any choice.” She squeezed his arm at that “Loyalty to your friends is admirable but -”

Whatever she was going to say was cut off by the sound of Jinora yelling at her father. “You're sending me away again? You can't protect me forever! Aang was only twelve when-. ” Her voice faltered as she turned to stare off into the distance. “..... She's here.”

Tenzin looked at her befuddled “What?” Jinora raised her arm and pointed “There. I can sense her.... it's.... can't you hear it? The screaming?” Her face twisted as in pain as she clapped her hands to her ears and dropped to her knees. “MAKE IT STOP!” Tenzin reached down to pick up his daughter and began carrying her away as she thrashed and kicked at the air.

 

In the distance, Mako saw a boulder at least a hundred feet across break free from one of the mountains lining the valley. It hovered for a moment before being hurled into the nearest sector. Mako frowned at the sight “What is she doing?” Yulduz glanced up at him “Does she know how to bend metal?” He shook his head “No, she never learned how. She might be capable of learning though.”

“She wants to destroy Zaofu. But there is metal everyone one looks in this city. She cannot burn it and she cannot bend it so she is trying to smash it with sheer brute force.” As they spoke, Suyin had noticed the commotion and come outside. “What's going on?” Mako started to point towards where Jinora had indicated but dropped his hand when he saw what was happening to the river.

A towering pillar of water had formed near where the river forked and left a mostly empty riverbed behind as it was redirected into the same sector as before. Yulduz frowned “Why is she using water now? Surely it is no match for metal.”

“Water expands as you freeze it. If there's cracks or holes then you can use ice to break them apart. It'll work but it will take a long time for to destroy Zaofu.” Mako had to suppress a shiver as Ming Hua spoke. Every time she said anything or even just looked at him made Mako feel like she was trying to decide whether or not she wanted to vivisect him. And the woman appearing from nowhere like that made it even worse.

“Is there anyone in that sector Suyin? If it's empty then we could just let her hammer away at it to buy ourselves some time.” To his surprise Su shook her head “The city's empty, but I'm not going to let her destroy my city like that. We lure her here then engage as planned. Where's Tenzin?”

As he watched Tenzin fly off to lure Korra back to the estate, Mako felt himself torn between feeling afraid for the airbender and being glad that it wasn't him up there. It didn't take long for Tenzin to become a tiny dot as he approached the sector under attack. A minute later and the water streaming out of the river fell to the ground as bursts of flame began appearing. As the two of them drew closer Mako could see Korra throwing projectiles from every element at her former teacher as he desperately tried to run his way back to them.

By the time, Tenzin landed next to them, his chest was heaving from exhaustion and he looked ready to collapse right there and then. Korra landed near the edge of the estate as her glowing eyes saw the people waiting for her arrival. Nobody moved for an agonizing moment before she started walking forward. Suyin lifted the radio in her hand up towards her mouth as she sprung the trap. “Close it now!” The ground beneath their feet shuddered for a few seconds as the platinum dome surrounding the estate began to rise up from the ground before closing shut all around them. Now there wasn't any way out for Korra. Or them.

Suyin glanced in both directions “Remember the plan!” The idea itself was simple enough. Avoid engaging her directly, lure her into the buildings and let the metalbenders restrain her. The phrase 'easier said than done' barely scratched the surface of how monumental a challenge it actually was. Just as they were beginning to fall back, Zaheer, Ming Hua, P'Li and Ghazan rushed forward. Mako stopped short as Suyin yelled at them “What are you doing!? Stick to the plan!”

Spikes of ice, bursts of air, streams of lava and the explosive attacks of a combustion bender all raced outwards towards the Avatar. Korra remained rooted to where she was standing as she lifted one hand and a veritable squall of air erupted outwards to block their attacks. A few seconds later and a roiling stream of fire rushed forward to envelope Ghazan and Zaheer. When it faded nothing remained but ash blackened metal. P'Li screamed in rage and despair she sprinted towards Korra, her attacks firing as quickly as she was able.

A wall of air formed in front of Korra to block the explosions until P'Li had drawn within arms reach. Her right hand formed into a fist before slamming directly into the combustion bender's sternum. P'Li's eyes widened and she began gurgling as she collapsed to the ground. Ming Hua began backing up in horror and turned to flee but barely made it three steps before Korra grabbed her shoulder. The woman's scream faded as she was sent flying to collide with the roof before falling to the metal surface below.

Mako felt himself frozen to the spot in horror as something warm trickled down one leg. The only thing he could think of was the warning Lin had given back at Ba Sing Se. 'If you run into any of those four, you should run.' And Korra had just killed all four of them in less than a minute. It wasn't until he felt someone pulling on his arm that Mako's legs began to respond. Yulduz grabbed his hand and the two of them began running towards the nearest building.

As they sprinted through the doorway, a ball of flame crashed to the ground behind them. Mako glanced out the door only to see Korra moving in their direction. 'Just great.' He turned to look back into the room as Yulduz pulled on his hand, urging him further in. As they passed by an open door, a pair of hands reached out to grab them by the collars and yank them inside.

Kuvira put a finger to her lips and pointed to the far side of the desk in the office as she took up position behind the open door. After they hid themselves, Yulduz turned Mako's head towards hers as she began whispering to him. “I remember everything you told me about Korra and I can see you still care for your friend. Your loyalty to the woman you once loved is admirable but that creature out there is not the person you remember. I know what you are capable of and if you hold back now then she will kill us.”

She reached out to pull his hand to press against her stomach. “All of us.” Mako stared at her in shock as the realization of what she was telling him began to sink in. He nodded grimly before withdrawing his hand as they waited. The light from the hall was blocked as someone stopped in front of the doorway and peered into the office. Mako glanced at the window to one side of the room hoping to see a reflection.

Korra's movements were almost tentative as her gaze swept the room before her eyes locked onto Mako in the same window he was looking at. Before either of them could react, Kuvira made her move as she grabbed one of the Avatar's arms and tossed her over her shoulder and to the floor. Korra rolled to one side as strips of metal flew from Kuvira's outfit as she tried to trap one of limbs to the ground.

The desk in front of Mako flew off the ground and slammed Kuvira between it and the wall as Korra leapt back to her feet. At the same time Yulduz had slammed her hands against the glass window and dissolved it into sand. She turned and sent the sand flying through the air to wrap itself around Korra's hand and covering her eyes as the Avatar was turning towards her and Mako. Korra stumbled backwards as she tried to clear the sand out of her eyes, first with her hands and then with airbending.

As the sand began to blow away Mako started to let loose with a bolt of lightning. His mind flashed back to the days when Lightning Bolt Zolt had taught him how to generate lightning. The lesson he remembered most clearly was how to control the amount of lightning you generated so you didn't accidentally kill someone. There had only been two times in his life that he hadn't held back before. The first had been while Amon was bloodbending him in Republic City and the second was fighting the horde of spirits at the Tree of Time. Both times had been to protect Korra and he felt guilt tearing at his insides as the third time was to stop her. She shrieked as the lightning slammed into her and began blindly throwing fire around the room in a desperate attempt to hit him.

Mako took a deep breath as the first bolt ended before pouring everything he could into the second. The first had only slowed her down but this one drove Korra to her knees as the lightning sparked and and crackled all around her. She swayed for a moment before falling to her side as the glow disappeared from her eyes. Yulduz knelt at Mako's side as he sank to the floor and put his head in his hands. She said nothing, but her hand on his shoulder was enough to tell him that she understood.

He glanced up at the sounds of Tenzin and Suyin entering the room. Su only looked at Korra for an instant before she was trapping the Avatar's arms to her sides and pinning her legs together with bands of steel. She even went so far as to cover the woman's mouth before standing up and looking around. Tenzin sighed as he knelt by his former student as Suyin looked behind the desk at Kuvira. She spun around, the steel on her wrist forming into a blade as she stared with hatred at Korra.

Tenzin jumped to his feet as he put himself between the two of them. “I don't want to fight you Su.” “You're going to defend her? After everything she's done? How many people has she enslaved? How many people have died because of her? Omashu, Gaoling and all of the other places she's destroyed.”

“Korra would never do that. You don't know her, but I do. She was a victim like everyone else and I'm going to prove it. Killing her now isn't justice, it's blind vengeance. If I'm wrong then I'll deal with her myself.” Suyin's blade retracted but the anger in her eyes remained “You'd better be right about this Tenzin or there won't be anywhere to hide.” She pointed at Korra “That flying bison is still here. Take this thing and get out of my city.”

***

Asami hugged Mako before taking a step back as Yulduz frowned at her. “Are you sure you won't come with us? Nobody holds what you did this morning against you. It hurts, but it was the right decision, even Korra would agree.”

He glanced towards where Korra was being loaded onto the bison, restraints and all. “Maybe, but is there anything left of Korra now? I've heard all the stories but I can't imagine what it would take to make her into.... that. If she ever becomes herself again then maybe I can ask her to forgive me but until then....”

“Well, do you think you'll be ok in the desert?” Mako looked out of the corner of his eye at the nearby sandbender waiting for him. “Yeah... I think I will.”

*** 

“What's the latest news Tenzin? Katara won't tell me anything.” Lin scowled as she quoted his mother in a sickly sweet tone “Just focus on getting better, the world will take care of itself.' How is Iroh faring in the Fire Nation?”

“There's still some holdouts but it sounds like he's all but defeated the rebels. He'll probably become Fire Lord in the next couple of weeks.”

“So Zuko and Izumi are really gone... you realize that makes you the head of the Order now right? The two of us and Tonraq are the only grandmasters left. And I'm stuck in a wheelchair. How... how is Suyin doing?”

“She admitted that I was right about what the Dai Li did to Korra, but a lot of people in the Earth Kingdom will want to see Korra dead anyways once the news gets out. Right now she's hunting the Dai Li and remaining Jasta down but after that I don't know what's going to happen. Su said that people have started asking her to take the throne. I'm not going to get involved though. I can't help but wonder if Zaheer was right about the White Lotus. Did we set all this in motion?”

Lin slowly shook her head “Hou'Ting may have hated my family, but she chose her own path.”

***

She stared out the small window at the South Pole as the southern lights lit up the sky outside. It had been three weeks since the fight in Zaofu and Katara had been working to undo the Dai Li's efforts. Asami shivered at the thought of how horrible an experience it must have been for Korra. Having your very identity stripped from you and a false one put in its place. A door behind her opened as Tonraq and Senna, both looking glum, entered the healing center's lobby. Feeling worried, Asami took a tentative step towards them “Has there been any change?”

Tonraq shook his head brusquely “No, nothing we said brought anything back. She still doesn't remember us or anything before Ba Sing Se. Excuse me.” Senna didn't say anything but Asami could see her wiping tears away as she left with her husband. She stared at the door behind them for a moment before walking into the room they had come out of.

Katara was seated just inside on one of the benches while Korra was seated further away as she stared at the wall she couldn't see. She had been able to remove most of the sand that Yulduz had covered her eyes with but some of the remaining grains had turned to glass when Mako had electrocuted her. Katara had been slowly healing the damage but until then she needed a bandage tied around her head to block out the light.

Asami stopped next to Katara and the older woman looked up at her “I've been thinking... I know you don't want to push Korra too hard but I'd like to try talking to her. It's a long shot but we were friends in Republic City so maybe it'll help?”

“Perhaps it could, but it's very likely she won't remember you. She doesn't remember my son or her own parents, but you already know that. If you want to try, I won't stop you but try not to take it personally if nothing you say makes a difference right now.”

Asami nodded slowly before she sat herself in one of the two chairs next to the Avatar. Korra shifted in her seat and turned partially towards her. “Is that you Tonraq? I thought you were leaving.” Asami shook her head before realizing the pointlessness of the gesture “No, he already left. I haven't spoken to you since we got here.”

“Since we got here? You were in Zaofu? Wait, you're not the one who put the sand in my eyes are you?” “No no no nono. That wasn't me. I'm not a bender. Ah... let me start from the beginning.”

“My name's Asami. We first met in Republic City around a year and a half ago give take a couple of months. Um... at first we were fighting over Mako, a boy both of us liked. Neither of us really won that in the end. I helped you during the Equalist revolution in Republic City. After that was the civil war between the Water Tribes and then Harmonic Convergence happened. I did what I could then, but I wasn't as much help as before. After that is when when we went looking for airbenders. All of us were riding on an airship I provided.... none of this is ringing a bell is it?”

Korra shook her head “I don't remember any of that, but it matches with what Tenzin and Tonraq have told me so I guess it's true... I just don't remember.” Asami bit her lip for a moment “Well, have you done anything besides talking? Sounds? Smell? How things feel to the touch?”

“I... no, I haven't tried any of that. Tonraq and Tenzin mostly told me stories about what I did in the past.” Asami scooted her chair closer towards Korra “Well, you can't see with that bandage on but what if you tried to make a picture of someone looks like in your head?” “What, do you mean?”

Asami reached out and took a hold of Korra's hands and raised them to her cheeks “Here, try touching my face and see if you can make out what I look like... maybe it'll help since you can't see yet. It's worth a shot at least.” Korra gingerly moved her fingertips around as she explored the other woman's face and tried to form a picture of what she must look like in her mind. When her fingers touched the other woman's hair, she hesitated before gently running her fingers to their ends.

“You... you have black hair and... your eyes are green. I don't understand, why can I remember what you look like when everything else draws a blank.” Asami gave a sad smile as she clasped Korra's hands in hers. “I don't know, but we can find out together.”

***

So this is the end of Exire Lapisque. If you made it this far thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.


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